


No One Is To Blame

by keelywolfe



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Past Abuses, Mentions of Past Medical Experimentation, Mentions of Underage Pregnancy, Mentions of miscarriage, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Papyrus/Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale), Unplanned Pregnancy, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:08:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22592266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keelywolfe/pseuds/keelywolfe
Summary: Unprecedented situations require a strong response. It's a shame Edge isn't sure what it is.orAn unplanned pregnancy results in a change of relationship and some old secrets resurface
Relationships: Papyrus/Papyrus (Undertale), Spicyhoney, Underswap Papyrus/Underfell Papyrus
Comments: 212
Kudos: 247





	1. What Will Be, Will Be

**Author's Note:**

> This is a repost from my short story section since it seems to be growing legs. I really wasn't gonna start a new WIP, sigh.

“I’m going to Underswap.”

Red didn’t offer his opinion on that announcement. His crimson gaze focused on the television where Mettaton was blazing across the screen. In fact, he hadn’t offered his opinion on the entire situation, not once. When Edge told him, his brother only nodded curtly and hadn’t offered a word. That in itself was unprecedented; Red interjected his opinion loudly and often, whether or not anyone actually wanted it.

But then, the situation was also unprecedented, wasn’t it.

In the past two days since Edge told him, they’d barely spoken. The only words between them were curtly spoken guard reports and Red didn’t seem inclined to change that now.

Edge still hesitated at the door, waiting. Whatever the population of Underfell thought of their relationship, behind closed doors Edge considered them to be close and if they were harsher with each other than the other Universes, well, that was a consequence of growing up here. Location, location, location, as Sans once said, it did make a difference.

When his brother only kept his silence, Edge turned away and out the door. He took the time to secure every lock before walking behind their house to the basement and the machine. Red was more than capable of handling himself. It didn’t mean Edge wanted him to be ambushed by some foolish LV-hungry Monster who was merely observant enough to notice him not locking a door.

The trip through the portal was always chilling, worse than the most miserable snowstorm. Edge shook away that icy-cold and headed up the stairs. He didn’t pause until he reached the door to the Underswap brother’s home and only there did he hesitate.

He should have called ahead of time. In Underfell, showing up anywhere unannounced could be a quick journey into a dust pile, but that wasn’t a problem here. The only danger was one of poor manners and that was a risk he’d have to take. Because the truth was, he’d come without calling because he wasn’t sure of his welcome.

Hesitance was not in Edge’s nature and it didn’t slow him for long. He knocked briskly and as the door swung open, he braced himself for a greeting that might rival the void in coldness. If it was, it was a chilliness he’d earned.

But Blue’s smile was as kind as before. His voice was softer than normal as he said, “Edge, come in. Papy is resting.”

Blue opened the door wider to reveal his brother haphazardly sprawled on the sofa, obviously asleep.

Of course he would pick exactly the wrong time to come. That uncommon hesitance surged back and instead of risking waking him by speaking, Edge signed, _I’ll go._

“No, no, Papy can sleep through anything,” Blue chuckled. It was still softer than his normal exuberance. “Come in, sit, I’ll make some tea.”

Blue turned away and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Edge to shut the door behind him. He pulled off his boots, lining them up by the door before padding silently over to sofa in his stocking feet. Blue’s prediction about his brother seemed correct; Rus was sleeping deeply, sockets closed, a slim line of orange drool trickling from his slack mouth, one arm trailing off the cushions to the floor.

Gingerly, Edge lifted that arm back up, settling it at Rus’s side. He didn’t so much as sigh, only slept on, each breath hinting at a snore.

Edge sat on the floor next to the sofa, watching Rus sleep. There were faint shadows beneath his sockets. More than that, he simply looked tired, likely caused by the little soul growing next to his own.

_“look, you don’t need to do anything, all right? i’ll take care of it. i just thought i should let you know.”_

The kitchen door swung open again, Blue coming out with a tray holding a teapot and cups. He hesitated visibly, a look of complicated surprise crossing his face, and Edge realized he likely meant for him to sit in one of the chairs, not on the floor like a mongrel. He recovered before Edge could move and apologize for his gaffe, setting the tray on the coffee table.

“He’s been napping a lot lately,” Blue said, hushed. “Undyne says he’ll get his energy back in a few weeks. Well, as much as he ever had.”

That answered the question Edge wasn’t going to ask. Rus was going to keep the little souling, let it form into a child. It was Rus’s choice to make and Edge wasn’t sure how to feel about it, yet.

Gracious host that he was, Blue poured out the tea, adding a single sugar cube to Edge’s before handing it over with a smile. Edge took the cup with a nod of thanks, staring into the pale brown depths. Always so polite. He wasn’t sure he could be half as mannerly to the Monster who carelessly impregnated his brother

“I don’t know what to do.” The words burst free in a whispered rush. The cup Blue was lifting to his own mouth hesitated, returning to its place on his saucer as its owner looked at Edge with wide, startled eye sockets.

His stupid, fool mouth went on, “We were casual and occasional. We never planned for this.”

 _Fuck._ Edge took a desperate gulp of his tea, silencing himself. He shouldn’t be telling this to Blue, he would hardly want to know about his brother’s sexual proclivities. And it wasn’t entirely true, was it; sharing souls while having sex was a gamble, they’d never needed to do such a thing. It was reckless, foolish, and he’d done it knowing there would be a chance.

Sweet person that he was, Blue only nodded encouragingly for him to go on. Haltingly, Edge did, and it felt like his soul was rising into his throat, nearly choking him.

“It was safer that way. Safer for him. My world is dangerous and I thought if we didn’t put a name to it, if it was nothing permanent... I was trying to protect him, a little at least.” Because if it was only sex, passing moments of pleasure, if Rus didn’t love him, he wouldn’t be too hurt if ~~when~~ Edge dies. They should never have begun from the start, Red might be keeping his opinions to himself now, but he’d been very clear when Edge and Rus started sleeping together, in wincingly vulgar terms. It shouldn’t have been, couldn’t be.

But now there was to be a child.

Blue set his cup and saucer on the table, the fine china clinking softly. “I can understand that. But I’m not sure it works,” he offered quietly. “Maybe you fall in love with each other anyway, only you’re afraid to say it.” He tilted his head, considering, “Let me ask you something. Do you want to be a parent?”

“I don’t know.” Perhaps it was the wrong answer, but at least it was honest. When Rus first told him, he hadn’t been able to say a word, honest or not. He’d sat in silence as Rus walked back out the door, numbly trying to wrap his mind around the very idea.

Blue gave him a little smile. “That’s fair. Papy has an unfair advantage, you know. He’s well aware of what trouble a baby can be. That’s a lesson I unintentionally taught him.” He reached over to lay a gentle hand on Edge’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. Then he went back to his cooling tea, draining the cup. “Well! You still have some time to think about it.” He busied himself cleaning up the teapot and cups, then paused, adding softly, “Edge? Whatever you decide, you know that my brother and I will take good care of the baby, don’t you? That’s one worry you can set aside.”

He did. But the thought did not soothe his churning emotions.

On the sofa, Rus stirred and Blue chose that moment to carry the tray back to the kitchen, leaving them alone. Almost, Edge called him back, panic rising, but it was too late to flee as Rus yawned, his sockets opening.

“edge?” Rus said, sleepily. He absently wiped at his mouth with his sleeve as his sockets fluttered. His eye lights were white, colorless, unlike Edge’s crimson or Blue’s starry blue-yellow. Perhaps others would think them plain, but Edge always thought they were lovely, delicately pure. They widened as Rus woke up a little more, blinking at him, “what are you doing here?”

His traitorous mouth, so eager to spill his thoughts to Blue, blanked when confronted with Rus. Edge’s mouth worked silently for an embarrassing amount of time before he blurted out, “I know you said I don’t need to do anything. But I wish I could.”

“i...okay.” Rus said, bewildered. “um, like, you want to rub my feet or something? that’d be kinda nice, ‘cause i have been feeling a little bonely lately.”

A smile twitched at the corners of Edge’s mouth at the sheer ridiculousness of that. Why had he never noticed before that Rus could make him smile in the strangest of moments. Suddenly, the words were easy to say, without any unintentional babble. “I’d like to help you parent our child.”

“oh, that.” Rus stretched, arms and legs both extending, and he groaned in appreciation at the series of gratifying joint pops.

Edge leaned back, oddly offended, “Yes, that!”

“please,” Rus said, waving a hand dismissively. “i knew you’d want that, once you calmed down a little.” His mouth curved into a faint smile. “gotta say, you did it faster than i thought.”

Edge was still suspicious that he should be offended by that, but... “Can I--” he wasn’t sure how to ask.

But again, Rus proved he knew him better than Edge suspected. “can you see? sure.”

With one hand, Rus dragged the hem of his shirt up to his collarbone. His soul was already summoned; that alone was a distracting sight, seen one other time before in a haze of desperate pleasure. Purest silver, delicately curved and lit from within and...there. A brilliant mote was orbiting Rus’s soul like a tiny moon. In a few weeks, it would descend into his abdominal cavity and Rus’s magic would form around it, cradling the little soul until it was ready to be born.

Their child.

Edge cupped Rus’s face with shaking hands, stroking his cheek bones with his thumbs as he kissed him softly, trying in some way to offer him the tremulous emotions rising in his own soul, ones that couldn’t be spoken, not yet. He thought perhaps from the way Rus kissed him back that he understood.

He still wasn’t sure what he was doing, how they would manage. He still didn’t know how to deal with his brother, but Edge was here for this.

They’d figure it out as they went.

* * *

tbc


	2. Something To Say, But Nothing Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red still isn't speaking to Edge. Rus needs donuts. He's eating for two-ish, thanks, donuts are a requirement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been informed that I am not allowed to leave the last story at Red being an asshole, so here we are. 😂
> 
> So, yeah, a sequel to What Will Be, Will Be. Rus is pregnant, and everyone is dealing with the fallout.
> 
> Warning: There is a mention of thinking about abortion here, so please be aware.

* * *

The false dawn was only beginning as Edge stepped out of the basement door, locking it behind him before heading around the side of the house to the front. Snowdin was quiet for now, most of the denizens still asleep, but the rest of the guard would be heading out soon, ready to begin patrol and Edge needed to be with them.

It hadn’t been his intention to sleep over in Underswap, but he’d taken the option when it was offered and, despite Rus’s unsubtle hinting, there had been no sex involved. Partly because Blue was sleeping in the next room but also, it was the first time they’d ever shared a bed for a reason other than sex. Edge laying on that silly mattress on the floor, guiltily absorbed in the chance to hold Rus close, to press his skull against Rus’s sternum and listen to the strong throb of his soul. The souling was far too small to be heard yet. It hadn’t stopped Edge from straining to hear even the tiniest flicker.

If he was going to be a fool about this, he supposed he might as well be a complete one.

Edge unlocked the front door, pausing to kick the snow off his boots as he stepped inside. He froze just inside. Red was already up, and that was strangeness all its own, shrugging into his jacket. He didn’t look Edge’s way.

“Good morning,” Edge offered, warily.

Red didn’t answer and Edge resigned himself to another day of silence. He took off his boots and headed towards the stairs to get changed before going on patrol.

“how’s rus?” Came from behind him. Edge whirled around, but Red wasn’t looking at him.

“He…he’s fine.” Edge hesitated then added, “A little tired. The souling is fine, too.”

Red was leaned over, tying his shoes in double-knots and Edge pressed on, hating the desperation in his voice, “It’s very small, not even the size of a knucklebone, it won’t descend for a few weeks yet and—”

He winced as the door slammed behind Red.

Well. He hadn’t shortcutted away, that was something.

Edge turned back towards the stairs and headed up. He was training with Undyne today and needed to be at his best. Afterward, he was going back to Underswap for a while. The knowledge of the souling was too fresh yet and the urge to stay close was strong.

Knowing that he didn’t need to resist it, that he was welcome, was enough for him to go back and he hated that part of his reasoning was that spending another day with his silent brother did not appeal.

Red would get over it or he wouldn’t, but Edge wasn’t going to wait around for him to decide.

* * *

The false sunlight creeping over Rus’s face was enough to drag him out of a sound sleep. He pushed up on his elbows, scrubbing a hand over his sockets as he tottered into awake. The bed next to him was disappointingly empty. Not that that was unexpected. He had a vague memory of Edge leaving earlier, something about having to go on patrol.

The memory of a kiss being brushed over his skull made a shiver trill up Rus’s spine. He shoved it back down for the moment; just because he and Edge were gonna have a sproglet didn’t mean there were wedding bells or anything in the future.

Sproglet? What was a kiddo skeleton called anyway? Skellilet? Skettle? Skitten?

Okay, yeah, he was calling skitten.

From the light, he was guessing it was probably past noon, but damn, he felt well-rested for the first time since he’d woken up earlier this week to discover his soul manifested and the tiniest sparkling of light circling it.

That’d been a helluva day. Staring at the mirror in shock, unable to believe what his eye lights were telling him.

He’d immediately thought of aborting, for about the first half a mo’. A knee-jerk reaction to suddenly finding out he was knocked up, he supposed. He wasn’t sure how it went in Underfell, but no one in Underswap would’ve given him so much as a dirty look if that’s what he’d decided. Sure, Blue might’ve been a little disappointed, but a souling didn’t even dust when it was removed. It just faded, no LV, no foul. Supplies could be scarce at times and that was a fact, Monsters had to be careful about reproducing Underground.

But looking at that tiny star, Rus couldn’t help thinking of possibilities. A little baby bones, his own skitten. An adorable miniature version of Edge, one who could grow up where it was safe and warm, with daddies and uncles who’d adore ‘em.

Yeah, okay. He wanted that.

He’d only waited a day or two before telling Edge, since it wasn’t a secret that was gonna keep for their next round of rough and tumble. He’d reacted about how Rus expected, pure white-skulled shock. Rus left him there to think about what he’d done and headed back home, figuring he’d be hearing from Edge again soon enough.

Truth was, telling Blue had been more nerve-wracking than Edge. At the time, he’d been sure Edge would come around eventually...well, pretty sure. But his bro? He couldn’t’ve said if Blue would be disappointed or angry. They were about to gain a new stress to their finances and their pantry, no question of that and it was kinda fucking hard to explain to his little brother that a moment of stupidity during a bump and grind with his asshole with benefits was gonna cause it.

Blue listened seriously when he told him and it wasn’t until Rus said he was going to have the kiddo that he showed any emotion at all. Didn’t know why he ever doubted his bro; Blue launched directly into squealing delight. He’d demanded to see the little spark, then almost immediately bullied Rus into laying down on the sofa, talking about ten things at once in a blur of ’quit smoking, more calcium, extra rest!!’

The concern was nice, but eh, the cigarettes he’d given up the second he saw that tiny light and fuck, that was the worse than any other damn thing combined. He’d tell ten Edges they were gonna be a baby daddy and half a dozen bros if someone would kindly find a way to infuse him with nicotine.

Welp, if he couldn't have a ciggie then donuts were a poor replacement, but it was one he could have. Undyne couldn’t be sure that shortcutting wouldn’t hurt the spark, especially one so early, so walking was the order of the day.

Rus pulled on the first cleanish sweatshirt and pants he found, stepping into his sneakers and grudgingly tying them. Probably stupid of him, but he could trip over air on a good day. May as well be a little more careful when he had a baby on board.

The effort was almost a useless one, since he almost went ass over teakettle with one step out the door. He almost ended up shortcutting anyways, arms windmilling as he struggled to keep his balance and two bony hands grabbed his femurs high enough to give him quick pelvic examination, stabilizing him.

“careful, ya overgrown giraffe!” Those hands pulled away before Rus could put in a request.

“red?” Rus looked down in disbelief at the hunched-over skeleton sitting on the stairs. “what the hell are you doing on my porch?”

Red scowled and flicked his cigar butt into the snow, “nuthin’. what are you doing out?”

“uh, i live here, which isn’t an argument you can make, so let’s flip that back your way, yeah?”

Red shrugged unapologetically. “keepin’ watch.”

“keeping watch?” Rus repeated, slowly. “for what?”

“blue ain’t here, the boss ain't here. so i’m keeping watch,” Red snapped. “mama monsters are fierce, but you ain’t a mama yet.”

“not really planning on being ‘mama’ at all, thanks,” Rus said, even as he turned those words over in his head, studying them like a math problem. “i’m laying claim to daddy early.”

Red went on, doggedly, shoulders hunching further, “soulings are fragile until they descend.”

Oh.

Yeah, okay, Red was staring at the snowdrifts so fiercely Rus sort of expected em’ to catch on fire. Protecting him, from the mean streets of Underswap Snowdin, where Red must think roving bands of miscreants were waiting around every corner. Or not, and Rus didn’t really want to know how Red knew soulings were fragile. And if Red wanted to protect him like some kinda bodyguard, Rus guessed he could play diva. At least he could get Red to stop trying to ignite the snow with his eye lights.

“well, come in and sit on the sofa,” Rus told him. He opened the door again and held it open invitingly. “c’mon, you can sit by the door so you’re the first line of defense.”

“maybe,” Red said, diffidently, and kept his ass parked right on the step. “what’re you doing out here, anyway? smokin?” The low growl on that last word seemed a pretty good sign that the answer to that better be no. Rus regretfully shelved the urge to tell him yep, pack a day man, that was him. But he really didn’t trust Red not to strip him to the bones in search of cigarettes and his neighbors got enough of a show from them on any given day.

“nah, i quit.” He didn’t think he imagined the relieved slump in Red’s shoulders. He shut the door, every instance of Blue griping that they weren’t paying to heat the outdoors ringing in his skull. “craving a spider donut, is all.”

Red hopped up so quickly Rus almost thought he teleported. “i’ll get it. head back inside, take me two minutes.”

“oh. um.” He supposed he could argue that he was perfectly capable of going himself, but eh, truth was, he wasn’t sick of the novelty yet. Plus, it wasn’t gonna kill him to let some babying happen. He knew for a fact once there was a real baby, it wasn't gonna last. “okay, here, i have a few…” G, he started to say, but Red was already gone. Welp, he hoped Red had some cash. If not, he hoped Muffet would put it on his tab because he really didn’t want to try explaining to her why some short, grouchy skeleton popped into her bakery to swipe the goods.

It was probably more like a minute in a half when Red reappeared, steam still rising from the bag in hand.

Red scowled, “why’re you still out here, get inside where it’s warm.”

“not until you come with me,” Rus crossed his arms over his chest, unperturbed as Red’s scowl deepened. “seriously, get inside, my neighbors are gonna think we found a gargoyle at the dump.”

“tch.” Red glared but Rus was unmoved. What was Uncle Red gonna do, carry him in and drop him on the floor? Chain him to the sofa? Well, he might, but Rus was going to hedge his bets.

To his relief, Red grudgingly went inside, the two of them taking over the sofa to munch their way through the donuts. Rus flipped on the latest Napstaton special so that he and Red could continue their endless debate on who was better, him or Mettaton. Secretly, Rus was ready to concede that Mettaton had better legs, but he was in no way a better Sherlock Holmes.

They were still sitting there when Edge came in, already bitching before he was through the door.

“How many times have I warned you both about locking…the…” Edge trailed away to gape at them, and all Rus could do was resign himself to the fact that Edge was pretty damn adorable when he was surprised. He’d been pretty damn adorable looking at their little spark, too, soft wonder in his eye lights, but Rus tucked all that into the back of his skull to Deal With Later. Preferably when Red wasn’t around.

“there’s a donut left,” Rus offered. Pretty damn generously, too, he was eating for two-ish and those donuts were damned good.

“You eat it,” Edge said immediately. “You’ll need plenty of food to convert to magic.”

“yeah, you’re right, the other five donuts probably weren’t enough,” Rus said agreeably. Didn’t have to tell him twice. He didn’t give Edge a chance to change his mind, happily munching it down. Except, yeaaaah, it wasn’t really escaping his notice that Edge and Red were playing a fun little game of not looking at each other.

Welp. He wasn’t gonna deal with this shit until the kiddo was here.

Rus gave Red a hard elbow, shoving him over until there was a space on his other side. “have a seat, napstaton is just about to tell us who the murderer is.”

He waited impatiently for Edge to pull off his boots and line them up at the door, Angel save us if the heels didn’t perfectly match. When Edge sat down, Rus immediately took advantage of the new lap, sprawling out with his head on Edge and his feet on Red.

Oh, yeah. The satisfaction in feeling Red struggling with the urge to push him on the floor was just the best part of his day. Less so was feeling Edge’s hands hovering over his skull like he was trying to decide if he was allowed to touch. A beat, two, then they settled gingerly and Rus sighed, pushing against them impatiently until Edge hesitantly started stroking the smooth bone. Pretty soon he started to improvise, petting his way lower, tracing coronal sutures and the delicate hole of his audial canal. Rus was drowsing before Napstaton even got the suspects together, but that was okay.

Everyone knew the butler always did it, anyway.

* * *

tbc


	3. Can’t Go On, Thinking Nothing’s Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rus’s sparkle is becoming a firecracker, the Fell Brothers still aren’t talking, and Red is a Grand High Poobah. Just another day in Rus’s life since he got knocked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is what could possibly be a discussion about miscarriage but nothing like that actually happens.

* * *

Not that long ago, Rus would’ve said he knew what tired felt like. Tired was always dogging after him, dragging him down into impromptu naps and through exhausted days while his piddling HP soaked up any rest it could, keeping him afloat.

But the past few weeks had taught him a new definition of the word and the only good thing about it was that this time, no one was griping at him to get his lazy butt out of bed.

Oh, yeah, and there was gonna be a baby eventually, that was nice, too.

Rus had a sneaking suspicion that the tired wasn’t gonna end with the skitten putting in an appearance. Probably learn another new definition of it, though.

Anyway, there was also the added perk that his brother no longer came in to wake him up in the morning for sentry duty. Alphys was a tough chickie, but she had a soft, gooey center for baby Monsters, skitten or otherwise. She immediately put him off work until the baby decided to show up before putting in a demand for some babysitting time. The way things were going, Rus was gonna have to come up with a duty log or something if he ever wanted a chance to hold his own kid.

Behind Rus, the mattress creaked as the bed shifted and, oh, right. That was another change, wasn’t it. For starters, his mattress had been upgraded to a bed frame scavenged from the dump. Not so much for the skitten, but because Edge refused to keep sleeping on the floor, like a no-account vagabond, was how he put it.

Rus sort of thought he should be offended by that, but, eh, the new bed came with perks. Namely, it usually came with an Edge included in the nighttime hours, big and cozy warm, and a helluva lot more cuddly than their previous visits led Rus to believe.

It was just a damn shame that morning came so early when Edge stayed over,

The bed creaked again. “I need to go.”

“mm hmm,” Rus mumbled. He wasn’t ready to commit to actually being awake, but he had enough going for him to be sleepily waiting for what came next. He was not disappointed.

First, a kiss on top of his skull. Very soft, a butterfly’s breath of a touch. Hesitant, not really sure of its welcome, but every morning that it wasn’t rejected upped the odds that tomorrow might bring another one.

Next came the one right over his sternum and this one was more confident, sure. Today Edge added a new layer, murmuring softly, “Be good, baby.”

Yeah, okay, Monsters didn’t exactly get hormones when they were knocked up, but Rus was just about to weep at how precious that was. Better to pretend he somehow didn’t notice. Edge got all flustered and blushy when Rus teased him and as cute as that was, Rus also didn’t want him to stop.

He didn’t want to say that upcoming parenthood was softening Edge up in seriously unexpected ways, but damn if it wasn’t. Hell, he’d pretty much accepted that Edge was giving all he could before with the occasional one-night stand, and that was okay, you know? Rus didn’t take it personal, was what it was. He’d gotten a few glimpses of Underhell...er...Fell, he saw where Edge and Red were coming from and if part of him desperately craved more, then that was his problem because Edge never promised him anything but orgasms.

Turned out that beneath that hard, boney shell Edge had a gooey center of his own and with a little spark to smooth the way, Edge was becoming the best sort of cuddle Monster.

Yeah, Rus could get used to this. He kinda hoped he’d have the chance and it wouldn’t dry up once the kid was here.

The sound of the bedroom door quietly closing was a sign that it was time to go back to sleep and when Rus woke up again, he could see the bright, artificial light coming around the curtains.

His phone buzzed again; that was what woke him up the first time, and Rus groaned loudly, not bothering to look at the text. He already knew who it was from and he also knew they were turning him into a crazy person because they were _from_ a crazy person who was probably already inside the house.

In the end, he looked at it anyway because he couldn’t not look at it. It said exactly the same thing as yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that.

_need to get down here and eat_

Yeah, Captain Obvious, it was about the time his hunger started warring with the whole tired thing, he didn’t really need a wakeup call. But since he had one, Rus went ahead and gave in, kicking the blankets to the end of the bed and hauling himself upright.

He yanked on his bathrobe over his pajamas, leaving it hanging open as he wandered downstairs. The gargoyle currently slouched on his sofa was getting to be a common sight, too.

“morning,” Red didn’t look up from his phone. “your bro left breakfast for you on the table.”

Even Red’s grouchy mug wasn’t enough to dim his appetite and Rus’s shuffle got a bit of a lift as he headed over to the covered plate. Toast soaked in butter, richly browned sausages, glistening eggs. Even a bowl of oatmeal swimming with a generous amount of honey, with a tall glass of orange juice to wash it down. Twice and then some what he would’ve eaten before and Rus dug in as if it might make a break for it if he looked away.

He piled most of it on a toast slice in a messy sort of sandwich and took a happy bite. Around a mouthful of eggy toast, Rus mumbled, “you know, you don’t need to come over every day.”

Blue and Edge woulda had some words to say about his manners, some more profane than others. Red was his sort of guy and spoke ‘full mouth’ fluently. His pissiness, on the other hand, was more a character flaw than anything Rus did to earn wrath.

“yeah, and you don’t need to tell me what to do but here we are,” Red grumbled. “boss’s gotta patrol. your bro has training. i’m the only one who can hang around.”

“uh huh.” Telling him that Rus didn’t need anyone hanging around probably wasn’t gonna go over well, or it least it wasn’t gonna do much good. Red had assigned himself as the Grand Poobah of Overprotectiveness and Rus was gonna have to roll with it.

Probably wouldn’t be too much longer, anyway. The little spark was growing quickly. Already it had gone from a twinkling to a firecracker, much faster than expected. He’d always had an overabundance of magic and according to Undyne, the souling was happily gorging on it. That was why he was so damned sleepy and right now he’d nod off about anywhere. Which, okay, he did that before but these days Blue only shook his head indulgently and sometimes tucked a blanket around him.

For some reason he was feeling a little more energized today, so after he dumped his plate in the sink, then went back to rinse it off so he didn’t get ‘The Lecture, Now In Stereo’, Rus went upstairs and put on actual clothes instead of standing by his previous declaration that pajamas were good for all occasions.

That was enough of a program change to get Red to look up from his Candy Crush or whatever the hell he was engrossed in. “what are you doing?”

“going for a walk.” Rus told him as he stepped into his untied shoes. Then, more grudgingly, “you coming?”

The answer was obviously some version of yes, but the expected bitching and moaning didn't come. Red only hopped up and put on his shoes, double-knotting the laces before he went over and did the same to Rus’s sneakers, ignoring his exasperated sigh.

Red didn’t ask before practically leaping in front of Rus to make sure he was first out the door. He looked around like he was expecting a sneak attack from the garage or maybe an ambush from the Librarby, books lunging out with nefarious deeds already written on their pages.

When neither of those scenarios manifested, Red seemed to decide it was safe enough for a stroll. Rus pushed past him impatiently and headed for Waterfall.

“your bro is out in the woods,” Red puffed out, jogging to catch up with Rus’s long legs.

“yep. which is why i’m taking a walk in waterfall. got a problem with that?” Because if he did, Rus’s easygoing attitude was about to bypass the lighthouse and crash into the rocks.

Red only shrugged. “nah. some exercise is good for the kidlet.”

“Kidlet?” Rus made a face, “i was gonna stick with skitten.”

Red stopped in his tracks, horror flitting over his expression, “skitten?”

“yeah, you know. skeleton kitten. a skitten.”

Red scrubbed a hand over his face and shook his head as he started trudging after Rus again. “i tried to tell the boss something was wrong with you.”

“i bet you did.” Rus said agreeably. “i mean, there are, so many things. probably hard to pick one.” It was true. He had a list.

But if Red was gonna drag that out of the shadows and into the light of day, Rus would like to point out that whatever was wrong with him wasn’t as bad as what was currently wrong with the Fell brothers. Didn’t take a genius to notice that as soon as Edge came back to Underswap from patrol or training, Red took off, usually with a grunt for Rus or Blue, but always without a word to Edge. It was like as soon as Red passed the little souling torch over to his brother, Red was out.

Rus was starting to feel like the ball in the Underground’s most boring game of ping pong.

Of course, it was really their business, not Rus’s at all. Like he was up to giving any advice about relationships, considering he and Edge hadn’t even gotten around to slapping a label on theirs? Right. He should stay out of it and let them work it out.

Except, Rus didn’t give two hurty squirty shits about that because it was really starting to get on his nerves. Edge was supposed to show up here and spend his time looking all adorable about upcoming parenthood, possibly (hopefully) tossing a promising look at Rus from time to time. He was not supposed to be moping around soulbruised because his brother was a dick. Which, okay, Red was always a dick, but he could be less of one.

Around the path, the snowdrifts began to trail away, the air around them slowly warming as it shifted to a gentle trickle of constant rain. A change of scenery called for a change of conversation, and fuck it, Rus was up for a challenge. “so, you ever gonna stop being pissy with edge?”

“no.”

Well, at least Red wasn’t going to pretend everything was a-ho k-ho. “it’s because of the kid, isn’t it.”

Okay, yeah, he probably deserved that particular derisive snort.

The damp was starting to creep in through his shoes, making them squeak against his bony feet. “you aren’t pissy with me,” Rus pointed out. “why? takes two to jitterbug, yeah?”

“yeah, but he’s not supposed to be the stupid one.”

It took a second for that to click. “…hey!”

Rus reached out and gave Red a shove, cause he might as well enjoy it while Red wouldn’t push him back. “seriously, though, he’s really upset about it, i can tell, you should--”

“stay in your lane, honey bun.” The words were gently said, but the warning in it was clear.

Welp, he’d tried. Mark that notch on the board and maybe tomorrow would be a better day.

“kinda hard right now, feel like i’m swerving all over the place.” Up ahead was one of the larger pools of water and Rus stopped at the edge and sat on the damp ground. After a fierce struggle with Red’s knots, he pulled off his shoes and rolled up his pant legs, scooting up to dip his feet into the cool water.

Next to him, Red did the same thing, tucking his socks deeply into his sneakers before sitting next to Rus. Their height difference wasn’t quite as obvious sitting down since Rus lost the advantage of his gangly legs.

Rus gave Red’s foot a nudge under the water with his toes and asked slyly, “how are you gonna protect me from the cave ninjas in your bare feet?”

Because he was a shit, Red scowled deeply and started to stand. Rus grabbed his arm to keep him still.

“stay put, you pine cone. we both know you could probably murder someone while you were bareass. Not that you’re gonna need to, thanks.”

“be a hell of a last sight before ya dusted, though.”

“thanks, i was looking for a good excuse to bleach my mind.”

The cool water felt good, soothing. His joints were a little achy lately, especially in his feet. From the magic drain, according to Undyne. Thinking of...“i’m supposed to see undyne tomorrow for another checkup. she wants to measure the souling, see if she can give me a guess-tament on when it’ll descend.”

Red grunted, noncommittal. Rude. Rus was trying to give him a heads up on the agenda for tomorrow. Chances were Edge would want to tag along, but if he couldn’t, he didn’t want Red grumbling about having to take a trip to hotland. Though he probably wouldn’t anyway, Red was being weird about all of this, everything, and Rus didn’t much want to guess at why.

But the silence was drawing out and at last, Rus went ahead and asked the question that'd been bugging him most. “do you want to see it?”

“see what?”

“my tits,” Rus said exasperatedly. “the souling, what else?”

Because for all his protectiveness, Red was the only person who knew that hadn’t asked for a quick peek. Not that Rus minded; he was perfectly happy to show off his little spark and now that it was bigger, it was starting to look like an actual soul, not a little blob of light. Edge was practically trying to commune with it on a daily basis, cuddling up close so he could stare through Rus’s rib cage or pressing his skull against Rus’s sternum and listening to its quick-quick little throb, barely audible over the pulse of his own soul.

Red seemed to be giving the question a lot more consideration than Rus thought should be necessary for a quick glimpse at a souling. The legs of his shorts were too close to the water and they were getting soaked, made worse when he kicked his feet and sent a little wave to splash back at them.

At last, Red gave a little shrug and said, “nah.”

Hm. Rus didn’t press, lifting a foot out of the water and watched the trickles fall from his boney metatarsals. Not far away were a few echo flowers, their words unintelligible, but their glow lighting the walls with an almost eerie blue.

Rus was about to suggest they head back to see if lunch miraculously appeared while they were gone when Red asked, low, “can you feel it yet?”

“feel it?” Rus asked dubiously. He rubbed his fingertips over his sternum, right above where his soul hovered with his own little echo circling around it. “maybe? sometimes it does feel warmer in there--”

“no,” Red shook his head and his words were tight, grated out, “when it gets close to descending, you should kinda feel it. it’s a full soul right next to your own, ain’t it? but not like soul joining, there’s no real thoughts or anything. just emotions. like...like getting touched with happiness.”

“not yet,” Rus said softly. His voice reverberated faintly, and he wondered if the echo flowers would claim it. “must be too small still.”

Red nodded jerkily and fell silent.

There was a fuckton of questions springing up around that, but Rus didn’t ask any of them. They sat there a while longer together, and if the silence wasn't exactly comfortable, it wasn’t bad, either. Eventually, Rus flopped back to lay in the cool grass, still paddling softly with his feet. The water dripping down into his sockets was weird but not unpleasant. He didn’t remember falling asleep, didn’t know how he got back home to be lying on their sofa, and he definitely didn’t want to know how he ended up in fresh, dry clothes.

What he did know was that Edge was in the living room with him, still pulling off his boots, and Red was nowhere to be seen.

“you look tired,” Rus said. Which, was the truth, but he winced a little belatedly at having said it like that. He was always a little off his game when he woke up and lately, that seemed like always.

Edge replied, curtly. “Today was...difficult.”

He didn’t elaborate and Rus didn’t ask.

“well, hey, come lay down until dinner is ready.” The sounds coming from the kitchen were a pretty good sign that Blue was already in there, whipping up something delicious. And when it looked like Edge was going to argue, because of course he would think he needed to toss on a chef’s hat after an already long day, Rus said lightly. “undyne was just telling me that frequent proximity of the other soulsharer is good for the little firecracker.”

Sure, that was a blatant lie, but Rus thought it was for a good cause. Edge faltered, his eye lights straying to the kitchen, but in the end, it was too much of a good thing to resist. Edge settled down next to him, moving immediately and unashamedly into Rus’s personal space, already prepared to start trying to commune with their little spark. Talking to it, humming little songs, even summoning his own soul so that he could offer a taste of the emotions bubbling in him and yeah, that overflowing love wasn’t for Rus, but feeling it so close to his soul brought tears to his sockets, maybe someday...maybe…?

Almost, Rus thought he might have felt something, a tiny, sweet little echo of emotion, but he couldn’t be sure.

Soon, it’d be soon. He hoped. Rus was really looking forward to getting touched with a little happiness.

* * *

tbc


	4. Seldom All They Seem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time, the souling is descending. But things aren't going smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How to warn for this?
> 
> There's some scary 'birth' related things, mentions of a possible past miscarriage, mentions of a possible traumatic past. I hesitate to say more because of spoilers, so I'll add more tags to the end in case anyone needs them.

* * *

Despite making him a captain in the guard, Undyne still insisted that Edge train with her at least once a week. Partly it was because she was a bossy bitch, as she would gleefully tell anyone, but also a more private concern that both of them keep their skills honed to a razor point. 

With a great deal of brutally hard work, Snowdin and Waterfall were slowly turning into places where a Monster could reasonably expect to survive to adulthood. XP Hunters that hid out in Snowdin wood were virtually wiped out once Edge started implementing his traps, as well as any LV-crazed Monsters who used to stalk anyone who took the paths. 

Undyne began utilizing his traps in her territories, especially along the borders to New Home. That was still a festering hive of gangs and corruption and the air there always tasted of dust. Underfell would never be safe, not in the way Underswap or Undertale were, but Edge always knew he couldn’t save the world. Not yet, anyway. His focus was on his own corner of it. 

A certain amount of safety also promoted a level of laziness, according to Undyne, and at her insistence, they both kept hard at work training. In that Edge believed she was correct; there was no point in creating a safe place if he wouldn’t be able to defend it and he always made sure to meet her challenges head on.

Except for today, when that very specific ringtone trilled a message from his cell. 

“You actually have your fucking phone on right now,” Undyne asked with near manic glee. Edge was forced to dodge the vicious kick she aimed directly at his head. “Ain’t I keeping you busy enough, _bossman?"_

Undyne didn’t believe in pulling punches, not even during training, and Edge had the scars to prove it. Even her words, mockingly sweet, were chosen to sting, but Edge was no longer a stripling to be so easily distracted. He kept his shield of bones up even as he pulled out his phone, his eye lights skimming the brief words. 

_it’s time. come on down if you want a front row seat._

“I need to go,” Edge said, even as he sidestepped a blow that would have cracked bone if it landed. 

That needle-sharp grin twisted into a frown, Undyne drawing up short as she glared at him. The top of the scar that ran beneath her eye patch drew down as her brows furrowed. “You’ll go when I say you can go, Captain.”

Edge was forced to dodge again, this time from a spear that manifested out of thin air. “I need to go, it’s an emergency.”

That gave her a pause, if a brief one. “Yeah? What kind of emergency? If it was your brother, we’d already be hearing alarm bells.” Undyne thrust the point of her spear into the ground, leaning against the shaft even as she gestured exaggeratedly for him to go on. 

He hesitated. He trusted Undyne as much as he could trust anyone. She was the one who accepted him into the guard, even when he was obviously a street rat and still far too young. She was the one who trained him how to fight, past the dirty techniques Red ingrained in him from the moment he could summon a sharpened bone. She was his commander and his friend, and surely this wouldn’t be the only time he’d need to make a hasty trip to Underswap. He would need her support. 

“It’s my…” Edge hesitated again, searching for a word and settled on a feeble, “significant other. Our souling is descending.”

It was the only time he’d ever legitimately seen Undyne falter in battle or otherwise. The spear propping her up wobbled, knocking her off balance and taking advantage of the opening was pure instinct. He had her on the ground in moments, his boot poised over her throat, but Undyne only stared at him, her visible eye filled with pure shock. 

“A souling?” she whispered harshly, knocking his foot aside. “The fuck were you thinking? You can’t just say that kind of thing, you idiot, who knows who might be listening!”

Left unspoken was that Alphys was surely watching them, possibly with popcorn as she salivated over their sparring match. That was the reason Red never allowed him to visit Undyne without an audio disruptor, something she wouldn’t know. Video was allowed; according to Red, so long as she could watch the show, Alphys was unlikely to investigate the sound issue too much, but it was impossible to tell how effective a tool it was. 

But he didn’t have much of a choice, they would need Undyne on their side. 

“You’re my friend--” Edge tried. He held out a hand to help her to her feet and Undyne slapped it away, getting up on her own. 

“No one is that good a friend, you fucking moron!” Undyne took hold of the front of his shirt, nearly hauling him off his feet despite the fact that he was considerably taller. “You don’t tell anyone else, you hear me? No one!”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Edge said, coolly, “I can protect my own.” The visible doubt on Undyne’s face made him stiffen and if time wasn’t ticking away, he would have called her on the insult. But then, she also couldn’t know that the child would be growing up safely a world away, with Rus. Edge _could_ protect his own, better that he wouldn’t need to. 

She sighed heavily, swiping a clawed hand over the fronds of the fins on her head. The ones not bound in a tie fluttered softly, “Get out of here. You’ll need to go double next week, shithead.” 

Edge nodded and turned on his heel towards Snowdin.

Before he could take a step he heard, “Papyrus?”

Edge hesitated, turning back to Undyne warily. But she wasn’t poised for any sort of attack, her burly arms crossed over her chest and her gaze focused on the ground. 

Her mouth twisted wryly as she asked, “Gonna let me meet the little crotchfruit when it’s here?”

Edge smiled faintly, “Its other parent keeps insisting that it should be called a skitten.”

“Ha!” Undyne slapped her knee and her sharp-toothed grin was a more familiar one, easy and wide, “That’s pretty good.”

“And yes,” Edge agreed, carefully. He didn’t have his brother or Rus’s affinity with promises, but he didn’t care to make ones he didn’t at least think he could keep. “If I can.”

She nodded. “Good enough. Go on, daddy, go watch the show.”

He gave her a short nod of his own and started back towards Snowdin. He wasn’t halfway there when his brisk walk became a run, dashing through the streets and ignoring the concerned looks of any that he passed. He didn’t bother to change out of his uniform, only went straight to the machine, punching in the coordinates and waiting impatiently for the portal to open. 

Once through, he darted around the side of the house, for once grateful of the unlocked door and only then did he pause for a moment, to take off his boots. The first was peeled away and he was working on the second when he heard it. 

From upstairs, through the closed bedroom door came the sound of a muffled scream.

* * *

Next to the bed, Rus could distantly hear his brother moving around, the frantic burble of his words mostly unheard over his own cries and the creaking bed as Rus writhed with the next hot flare of pain. 

“it hurts!” Rus sobbed. Undyne never said a fucking word about it hurting! His soul felt like it was being pulled apart, agony lancing through it. Rus curled in on himself, his knees tight to his chest as he choked out another cry. 

That morning, Red’s prediction came true; he could feel the little souling, the simplest of joy nudging at his own soul while that little spark began wriggling almost uncomfortably, and that was when Rus knew it was time. He’d called his brother and sent Edge a text before going upstairs, eager for the descension 

Only eagerness twisted into confusion as the pain increased. His comfortable room abruptly became too hot, nausea filling him, and Blue came home to find him retching miserably into a waste can, hauling him back into bed even as he moaned in complaint at the rising heat. 

Rus stripped down to his shorts before Blue finally opened a window, allowing some chilly air into the room. That helped a little, but then the pain grew, swelling in his chest as the little souling struggled frantically within the cage of his ribs.

“ah, fuck,” Rus moaned, shuddering as the agony built again. Pain laced liberally with fear, was it supposed to hurt this much? 

Distantly, he heard the door opening, slamming shut again. Gloved hands grabbed at him, trying to pull him into strong arms and Rus struggled free, slapping ineffectively until they let him go. He didn’t want to be touched, he wanted this to be over, it hurt so terribly.

The salt-sweet taste of tears was heavy on his tongue, making him gag and he fumbled for the trash can again, spitting it away before sagging back onto the sweat-damp sheets. It returned almost immediately; his sockets were streaming as he wept helplessly. He hadn’t ever wanted a baby before this little souling appeared and now he was gripped by terror that he was losing it, please, no. 

Through the sound of his own soul throbbing in his skull came the pop of teleportation, followed by a loud, gruff voice, “what the fuck is going on?”

“Red!” That was his brother’s voice, shattered with an incongruous mixture of fear and relief. “Oh, thank heavens, you need to shortcut to Hotland, bring back Undyne--”

Red didn’t reply and the bed next to Rus shifted with the sudden addition of weight.

"hey, look at me.” A sharp finger tapped painfully at Rus’s skull and he cringed away from that tiny hurt added to the pain already racking him, curling up harder, “c’mon rus, look at me.” Barely, Rus managed to open his sockets, looking up blurrily at Red. He was rewarded with a hand cupping the side of his face, gloriously cool and Rus leaned into that careful touch, his eye lights locked on Red’s intent gaze. "i'm gonna get you through this, honey bun, okay?”

He managed a slight nod. Red was an asshole, but Rus believed him, clinging to the shreds of his hope. 

"okay. now listen. i know it’s scary, but your soul will let go of the spark before it lets your hp drop to zero, yeah? so you ain't gonna dust from this."

"but the baby," Rus whispered, fresh tears welling. It wasn’t his death he was afraid for, hadn’t even occurred to him. Red’s bony hand soothed over his skull, stroking gently.

"your kidlet is fine, too. the spark can feel what you feel. you're scared, so it’s scared. i need you to breathe with me, okay? just breathe. in…and out…”

Rus did as Red told him, managing to match those long, slow breaths, easing back from panicked blurts. It still hurt, but the pain lessened as his panic faded. That pulling sensation was still there and Rus breathed through it this time. Somehow, now that pain actually felt _right,_ almost a relief. 

“that's it,” Red said, still breathing loudly, urging Rus to match it. Distantly, Rus thought he sounded strange, the Hotland accent that always clipped his words fading back. “let your body handle it, it knows what to do.”

He didn’t know how much time passed, Red murmuring soothingly, stroking his skull and jaw. Another hand hesitantly took his own and Rus gripped it automatically, holding on, following the arm up to Edge’s worried crimson gaze. His expression tightened when he saw Rus looking, mouth forming a word that Rus couldn’t hear over Red’s constant, soothing rapport, _breathe._

“i am breathin’,” Rus mumbled. Maybe it was the grouchiness in those few words that made a faint smile quirk the corners of Edge’s mouth. He could see the tremble in his own hand as he reached out, fingertips grazing Edge’s cheekbone. “like it when you smile.”

Edge’s sockets widened, that smile faltering but before Rus could mourn the loss, he felt the last thread tying the souling to his own soul snap. He cried out, but the pain was already fading, gentle warmth drifting downward as the souling descended into his abdominal cavity. 

There wasn’t time for him to even look before his magic flared uncontrollably, his midsection filled to bursting with the flood of it. It was over as quickly as it began and Rus lay back, panting, the taste of sweat and tears still heavy on his tongue. 

A soft cloth appeared and Edge tried to wipe away the sweat on his brow bone. Rus pushed him away impatiently, struggling out blearily. "baby?"

Red was sitting on the edge of the mattress, his still snow-damp boots leaving wet smears on the sheets. He offered Rus a sharp-toothed smile. "may as well get a good look, a few hours you won't be able to see anymore."

Shakily, Rus rose up on his elbows. In his midsection where usually there was only the slender column of his spine, his magic was encasing him in ectoflesh from his ribs to his pelvis. Through the translucent orange, he could see the glow of the souling, its light dimmed through his shimmering magic. Already the ghostly shape of bones was forming around it. As Red said, eventually the magic would lose its translucence and they'd have to wait until it was ready to see it again. Around the bed, the others crowded in, and as different as they looked, Blue and Edge were wearing matching expression of wondering awe. Or maybe not entirely matching, Edge's still seemed tainted with concern, but eh, couldn't blame him for worrying about his kid. Rus knew exactly how he felt.

Rus sank back down, managing to lift a trembling hand to curve around that soft swell. Not a souling any long but an actual baby, readying itself to be born. Another hand joined his, still wearing a stupid glove, entwining their fingers. Beneath their combined touch, the souling gave a happy wriggle and Rus groaned. Okay, great, the kiddo was fine, now he wanted to sleep for about a week. 

As if he’d pulled the thought directly out of Rus’s skull, Red hopped to his feet and said briskly. "okay, he needs to get some rest and you two ain’t real good at holding still. go do laundry or some shit, you can goggle more at the…” Red grimaced. “at the skitten when rus wakes up.”

To Rus’s weary bemusement, Edge and Blue both reluctantly obeyed, falling to the will of the Older Brother. Before he stood, Edge leaned down and pressed a kiss to the curve of Rus’s belly, the way he always had to his sternum before. What he whispered to their little spark this time, Rus couldn’t hear. He was already halfway to drowsing when Edge tucked the soft blanket over him, but the feel of a mouth brushing his own woke him right the fuck up. 

Rus barely had time to give Edge a wide-socketed look, he was already moving towards the door, crimson bright on his cheekbones in a match to Rus’s own flusterment. 

Huh. They’d fucked more than a dozen times, why was it a chaste kiss that left Rus feeling flutters in his soul that had nothing to do with the recent eviction of the souling?

At the door, Edge hesitated, silhouetted in the light from the living room. His voice was thick as he said, "Brother. Thank you."

Red only snorted, tossing the socks that Rus peeled off earlier into the laundry hamper. "didn't do nothin’ but help calm him down. baby would've been fine either way."

The door closed softly and tired as he was, Rus lay there, watching Red bustling around the room, cleaning up scattered clothing, tying off the liner in the waste can so it could be discarded. It was like looking at a distorted mirror of his own brother. 

“red?” Rus croaked out. 

“you’re supposed to be sleepin’, honey bun.”

“thirsty.” That was an understatement. His tongue felt like it recently did a tango with some sandpaper. Red was gone and back in a flash of a shortcut, holding a glass filled to the brim with lovely water. He held it while Rus drank thirstily, only spilling a few drops before he sank back with a grateful sigh. “thank you.”

“not a problem.”

“no, i mean, thank you, for everything.” Beneath the blanket, Rus settled a hand on the curve of his belly again. There was only a flicker of movement this time, lil' skitten was probably as tired as he was. 

Red blew out a sharp breath and set the empty glass on the side table with a thunk. “already toldja, didn’t do anything. you woulda been fine.”

Much as he wanted to believe that was true, Rus wasn’t convinced. He was so tired, the world seemed soft and blurry around him, but sleep was still elusive. With Blue and Edge gone, this hushed moment felt like one for secrets, and Rus found himself asking in a low mumble, “what happened to your baby?”

Red went very still. “gonna need to let that go, kid.”

It was gently said, probably great advice, but Rus’s mouth wasn’t finished. “i’ll share this baby, if you want.” He could do that, right? It already felt like he was going to be sharing with the whole of the Underground. Edge wouldn’t mind, he was sure of it. Pretty sure. 

“heh.” Red shook his head, ruefully. With a grunt, he hopped back onto the bed and lightly, he stroked a hand over Rus’s skull. His tone was almost fond as he said, “you taleverse monsters always gotta be the hero, dontcha. you ain’t even gonna remember this, honey bun. go to sleep.”

He wanted to, so very much, but tears were thickening again in his sockets, surfacing with his imaginings of another little souling, one that was lost, “m’sorry. ‘bout your baby.”

He shouldn’t have said it, cringing a little, waiting for that petting to get rough with anger. Red only kept up that light, soothing touch, tracing his coronal sutures the way a concerned lover might or maybe a parent. Rus wouldn’t know. He’d never really had either. 

“don’t be, ain’t nothin’ to be sorry about,” Red told him, very, very softly. “my baby grew up just fine. little stupid, sometimes. now go to sleep.”

Almost, Rus wanted to argue, what did that even mean? But he was so tired and the little soul in his formed belly was already giving off its own feeling of sleepiness, dragging him down. 

Remember this, he told himself fiercely, but thought was already fading. He slept, dreamless and deep, and never heard when Red got up and left, closing the door silently behind him.

* * *

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so spoilers below!
> 
> It's heavily implied that Red was pregnant before and that he did end up giving birth, very likely as a teenage parent. Nothing else surrounding his possible pregnancy is explained yet or even implied, other than it happened. It is however, heavily implied that Edge is his child and not his brother. 
> 
> End spoilers.


	5. Voices Are Heard But Nothing Is Seen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge is about done with unexpected happenings, but today is certainly a day for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: This chapter gets a little spicy, some light sexiness going on.

* * *

The knock at his door was an unexpected one. Too early for proper visitors even if he was expecting one, which he certainly was not. Edge took a moment to look through the peephole, the fisheye view showing him a child from the Bun family standing on his porch.

It was the work of moments to unlock the door and Edge threw it open, looking down at the child with no little suspicion. 

“What is it?” Edge asked brusquely. 

The child cringed a little, one hand twisting in the front of his striped shirt and the other holding up an envelope. “Message for you, Captain.”

That cringe made Edge's frown deepen. A certain amount of fear was better for anyone living in Underfell, particularly the young, to keep them safe. He’d never really considered that the children were often afraid of him in particular. Not that he’d ever harmed a single one, of course not, but surely he was imposing even without whatever evening stories their parents wove to keep them in their beds at night. 

The children of Snowdin often skittered out of his path whenever he approached, their expressions ones of fearful awe, as though he were their savior and their boogeyman combined. 

It had never bothered Edge in the past. He didn’t have time to coddle them when he was trying his damnedest to keep them alive. But seeing this child duck his head, his gaze kept fearfully low brought to mind an unpleasant possibility; his own child doing the same whenever he approached, that little soul growing inside Rus shying anxiously away from him.

Edge swallowed thickly even as the envelope, still held out to him, began to tremble ever so slightly in the child’s grip, dark sweat smudging the white paper.

“Thank you,” Edge said as he took the envelope, trying to temper the gruffness in his voice. He must have been somewhat successful, the child blinked, eyes darting up to meet Edge’s gaze. Impulsive, he dug into his inventory and pulled out a G coin, holding it out wordlessly to the child. And when the child only stared, Edge held it out again, biting back impatience as he added, “Here. Take it.”

Slowly, they reached out and at the last moment, snatched the coin from his hand. He expected the child to bound off, finally giving in to his fears, but they only backed away a step or two, staring at the coin. It might well be the first they’d ever owned; the Bun family was a large one with little cash to spare. 

“Thank you, sir,” the child whispered and now his expression was one of awe.

“Keep it safe,” Edge warned, and the child nodded fervently.

“I will! I will, Captain!” And he finally dashed away, leaving Edge alone with that envelope. 

He recognized the seal and ground his teeth. There was magic woven into it to keep anyone except the recipient from opening it and he had no doubt that if that child had indulged in any harmless curiosity, he would be the worse for it. 

There was nothing for it. There was no question that she already knew he had it. With a sharp-tipped thumb, he popped the seal, holding it away from his face as a pale hiss of yellow smoke steamed up from the wax as the spell dissipated. 

An invitation from Alphys to visit that afternoon for tea, as he’d expected. 

Wonderful. 

He’d frankly rather spend an afternoon fighting off a mob of XP hunters than with her, but turning down the invitation would be an insult she couldn’t ignore. Engaging in any kind of feud with Alphys was very low on his list, possibly alongside an assassination attempt on Asgore in terms of avoidance.

The only solution would be to endure and hopefully come out alive in the end.

* * *

Edge had visited the labs in Underswap once, reluctantly curious about the differences between worlds. As disturbing as it was to see Undyne’s alternate, a much shorter, meek and stammering version, almost more so was the sight of her lab. Dirty dishes scattered about, wrappers from the NTT resort balled up and piled beneath her desk. Disgusting, and knowing that she was Rus’s physician while he carried their child did not fill him with any sort of confidence. 

But it was the only time in his recollection that Edge preferred filth to precision.

Alphys’s lab in Underfell was pristine, fluorescent lights glowing overhead, illuminating stark tiles and sleek stainless steel. The reek of bleach always hung heavy in the air, though even that couldn’t disguise the foul dankness lingering beneath. 

The chairs were straight-back and uncomfortable, surrounding a low table, and Edge sat stiffly in his, watching as Alphys poured steaming tea into a delicate cup. There was a crack up the side of it, patched in gold, and when she handed it to Edge, he accepted it in silence. 

“I suppose tea isn’t usual for a toast, b-but I hear that congratulations are in order,” Alphys said, pouring a cup of her own.

The rasp of her voice rarely ventured over a whisper and occasionally disintegrating entirely, coarsened by unnamed damage. Edge wondered at times if it was the same accident that caused the burns that left the side of her face sagging and one corner of her mouth drawn into a permanent sneer, but an answer to that idle curiosity was surely not worth the price it would cost. 

“Congratulations?” Edge asked. He managed to keep his tone neutral, but his soul was already sinking, chilled as if dunked in the freezing waters by the Snowdin docks.

Alphys nodded and sipped noisily from her cup, fastidiously wiping away the dribble of tea that leaked from the scarred side of her mouth. Edge raised his cup and did the same, discreetly holding the mouthful in a bubble of blue magic at the back of his throat, an uncomfortable but useful trick Red taught him years ago. Only a fool accepted any food within these walls without suspicion.

Thinking of his brother made an ache rise in his soul. Red was still barely talking to him, but there was no time for worrying on that. At least Red was spending a great deal of time with Rus and his interest in the souling was comforting. He wouldn’t be blaming the child for Edge’s stupidity.

“For the upcoming birth of your ch-child, of course!” Through her thick glasses, Alphys’s gaze was magnified and shrewd, regarding him knowingly. There was a choice to be made here. 

What he knew of Alphys’s work was more rumor than fact, but he’d seen the results of one of her ‘experiments’ in New Home; once dangerous high-LV Monsters reduced to little more than dazed servants for the King. He suspected at times that some of the insanity-driven Monsters that roamed Snowdin wood weren’t there from their LV, but from something else entirely that sent them screaming into the depths of madness. There was no way to be sure.

Edge didn’t know what things Asgore asked of her, what drove her. What he did know was that Undyne was infatuated with Alphys, no, perhaps obsessed would be more appropriate. His trust in Undyne could only extend so far, much as he wished otherwise; he couldn’t be confident that if she had to choose sides, it would be with him. That Alphys was questioning him now was damning as well, was it Undyne who’d broken confidence or if this was merely confirming that the audio-blocking device was no longer working.

Time was ticking away and there was still a choice to be made. Edge very much hoped it wasn’t the wrong one as he said, “Thank you.”

Alphys beamed and Edge wondered sourly if he’d only confirmed a suspicion rather than actual knowledge. But a denial might only make her more interested, entice her into trying to pry deeper into his affairs. Traps were in every direction and he needed to tread carefully.

“You must be so very excited! Skeleton magic is so very unique.” She took another sip of tea, saying almost into her cup as she looked up from beneath her lashes, “I realize this will be some time away, but when the child’s powers manifest, I do hope you let me observe.”

He could feel his magic burning hotter, crimson briefly eclipsing his vision with the flaring in his eye lights as he said, flatly. “You’re asking to experiment on my child.”

Alphys jerked, a splash of tea staining down the front of her pristine lab coat. He’d never seen Alphys look even mildly dismayed. It was something of a relief to see true horror now. “N-no, nothing like that! I only want t-to observe, your kind is so rare.” She set her cup onto the saucer with a clatter, clasping her clawed hands together, very nearly wringing them. Either she was a very convincing actor or genuinely upset and Edge was unwilling to bet on either. “I’m aware that my p-p-predecessor had a certain…reputation. But I would never hurt a child.”

But once the stripes were put away, all bets were off, weren’t they. 

“I’ll consider it,” Edge said, intending no such thing. But being dragged all the way to Hotland for this sort of interrogation sat wrong with him and he couldn’t resist a jibe. “On the condition that Undyne is with you.” 

A hectic flush rose in her cheeks and she gobbled out something in reply. But Edge was done. He drained the cup, pocketing the liquid with the rest, and stood, saying stiffly, “Thank you for the tea.”

He wasn’t quite to the door when Alphys called after him, “I haven’t seen your significant other on the c-cameras.” Edge ground his teeth, did not turn to look at her. There was no dismay in her voice now, only placid amusement as she asked slyly, “Where are you keeping them, tied up to your bed?”

It was no surprise she was watching. Everyone knew about the cameras, since the moment they were old enough to toddle past them. But the door to the basement, to the machine, was a mystery for very few. Other Monsters couldn’t seem to see the door. Their eyes skated over it, leaving a blank in their vision. As for the others, any skeleton not from Underfell made a point of shortcutting into their living room, per Edge’s rule. She couldn’t know where Rus was and that wasn’t about to change, not for any reason.

“Thank you for the tea,” Edge repeated. He turned his head enough to give her a short nod and left.

The moment he was outside, he spat out the tea, watching it seep quickly into the parched ground. The temptation was there to head directly back to Snowdin and from there to Underswap, but he resisted it. Better to go through his normal routine than to count on whatever force it was that kept the machine hidden to keep her from seeing where he was going. 

It was past dinnertime when he finally went home. The house was empty, his brother nowhere to be seen, but that had been the norm since he learned about Rus’s pregnancy.

Edge changed out of his uniform before heading to the basement and the machine. Not that Rus didn’t know that he was in the guard, however, there was no need to grind his face in it. Lately, Rus was greedy to be held, cuddling in close whenever Edge was around. That was an easy desire to indulge and better in a comfortable pullover than armor.

His boots clattered on the steps as he went down, his concerns about Alphys sliding to the background as he thought fondly of Rus and his slowly growing belly. His brother’s prediction about it losing its translucence proved correct and Edge rather missed getting to see the soft glow of the little soul as it grew. 

The tradeoff was that the little one moved now, sometimes with enough enthusiasm to make Rus wince, rubbing at whatever place was the recipient of a kick and complaining that their child was already taking after Edge.

Their child. 

The evening was still early, but Rus was likely already sleeping. He often spent time drowsing away on the sofa while Edge and Blue watched television. He claimed the sofa was more comfortable for naps, cradling his achy bones.

The urge to hold him was growing by the moment and by the time Edge was out in the cold air of Underswap’s Snowdin, he was jogging to their front door, knocking lightly before opening it. 

The living room was empty, he saw with a frown, the blanket Rus used folded neatly on the back of the sofa. There was a scrap of paper on the table and in Blue's best handwriting, Edge read that he’d gone off for night training with Alphys. Just seeing the name made Edge's mouth curl in distaste, even knowing they were very different people. He set the paper back down, considering the stairs. 

Rus might have gone to bed early with both of them gone, and being able to hold him was winning out over Edge’s appetite. Perhaps he would quietly indulge for a time before seeing what dinner Blue surely left for them, from supplies Edge insisted on bringing. He could and would help provide, there would be no argument allowed there.

Yes, he decided, he wanted Rus close to him, Rus and their child. His conversation with Alphys had left him shaken and he wanted both of them in his arms.

Edge took a moment to lock the door, despite the insistence of the Swap brothers that it wasn’t necessary and went up the stairs on silent, stocking feet. Carefully he opened the door so as not to wake Rus, but he could not have braced himself for the sight before him.

Rus was completely bare, the soft orange swell of his belly stark against the pale sheets as he writhed and whimpered. His femurs were spread with one hand between them, his fingers working slickly, and Edge could only stand dumbfounded in the doorway, watching as he touched himself.

With a sigh, Rus opened his sockets and his hazy eye lights sharpened to see Edge standing there, gaping like a fool. 

“fuck,” Rus groaned. His pelvis rose from the sheets, grinding almost desperately against his hand. “edge. i’m so fucking horny. help me?”

The soft honeyed flush in his cheek bones was enchanting, beautiful. Rus had always been beautiful at every brief tryst they’d had. Especially the last, his head tipped back as he gasped and whimpered, faint tears trailing down his cheekbones as he clawed desperately at the sheets, clutching them in a bone-creaking grip. His soul summoned between them, flashing lovely pure silver as it pressed to Edge’s, unknowingly creating the life he now carried. 

But they hadn’t done anything of the sort since then. Edge slept next to Rus in his bed, held him close, offered light kisses and whispered to their child, and nothing more. He could taste the sweat beading on his upper jaw as he whispered, “I…I couldn’t...”

That lovely blush brightened, turned ruddy and mottled, closer to embarrassment than desire. Rus hastily reached for the sheet, dragging it over himself and wrapping up from skull to ankles.

“sorry,” Rus muttered, “wasn’t thinking.” He started to get up, swaddled in the sheet, his miserable hurt so blatant that Edge felt a flush of his own warming his cheek bones in matching shame. 

“Wait, please.” Edge hastily crossed the room, sitting with Rus. Who refused to look at him, his pale eye lights flicking away.

“it’s no big deal, edgelord, i get it. you’re here for the kid is all and i overstepped—” He broke off as Edge ducked his head, giving him a firm kiss that should leave no doubt as to what Edge wanted. He opened his sockets when Edge drew away, panting softly and hurt fading to confusion. 

“You don’t get it. It’s not that I don’t want to,” Edge told him. He hesitated, swallowing hard even as he confessed, “I don’t…I don’t want to hurt the baby.”

Rus blinked once, twice, staring at him and then suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth. At first Edge thought he was nauseous; that happened occasionally, and Blue would simply have to wait until the child was here before attempting to cook anything with garlic again.

Then he realized Rus was stifling laughter. “seriously? look, hot stuff, you’re hung, but even your junk isn’t gonna knock the skitten on the head.”

That…should probably be insulting but said like that it made his worries seem ridiculously silly. Edge managed a short nod, unable to stop the sheepish curve of his own smile.

But humor faded quickly as Rus licked his teeth, his sockets languidly hooded as he gazed at Edge with nothing less than hunger. “besides, it’s not like that’s the only thing we could do. i’m too horny to sleep and that’s a fact. up for giving me a hand or is that too much for you, edgelord?”

Edge surged forward almost before he finished speaking, taking Rus’s mouth fiercely and urging him to lean back as he settled between Rus’s thighs. 

After all, Edge suspected his honor, or possibly his stamina, was being called into question and he was determined to defend both.

* * *

Later, when Rus finally sank into an exhausted sleep, still quivering slightly with pleasurable little tremors, Edge curled up behind him.

Beautiful, Edge thought, though he kept it to himself, unwilling to wake Rus. But it was true, Rus was so very beautiful, always, and even more so now, ripe with pregnancy. He practically glowed with it and Edge would be content to simply look at him for some time, if he didn’t know Rus would give him a shove and tell him to knock it off.

Thinking of the baby...very lightly, Edge settled a hand over the slight curve of Rus’s belly. A soft thump greeted the touch, hard enough to make Rus murmur unhappily through his hard-won sleep. That wouldn’t do.

Edge slid down, replaced his hand with his cheek bone as he crooned softly to that bump, an almost forgotten lullaby from childhood. Perhaps it worked, the baby didn’t stir again. Or perhaps he was a fool, singing and whispering to a little one who couldn't hear a word of it. Edge did not know or care.

“I’ll keep you safe,” Edge murmured, too low to be heard even if he could be understood. “Keep you both safe.”

Underfell would never touch them, either of them. He would make sure of it. 

Edge lay awake, his gaze flicking from Rus’s peaceful face to the pale, scarred bones of his hand resting against where his child slept, waiting to be born.

* * *

TBC


	6. Winter Makes You Laugh a Little Slower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rus is all by himself for the day. Finally. 
> 
> Surely he won't manage to get into trouble.

* * *

This morning was probably as alone as Rus had been in weeks. Ever since a little spark showed up to orbit his soul, he felt like he'd been under constant supervision from one person or another. But not today. 

Today, his brother was already gone to train with Alphys. Edge was gone, back to his own world to go through his own morning routine that Rus didn’t ask too many questions about and Red wasn’t downstairs stinking up the sofa with his mustard fumes. Guard duty seemed to be over, for now. Red still checked in from time to time to raid the fridge and Rus thought maybe he caught a flash of a tragically emo jacket out of the corner of his socket once or twice, but the danger time was before the souling descended. Once it moved on to baby mode, all that was left was the wait.

(And if Red’s sudden absence was disturbing his peace, niggling thoughts of something he almost remembered, Rus wasn’t gonna dig in too deep. He had plenty of his own shit to worry about without adding Red’s nasty soup du jour)

Yep, all alone—except for the kid who was making a pretty good attempt to give Rus a matching set of bruises on either side of his spinal column. He wasn’t complaining too loudly about it; he’d known what he was signing up for, but damn, the kid would have to take after Edge in the energy department. Sometimes it felt like they were trying to use his rib cage as a jungle gym. 

Anywho, now seemed like a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the lack of supervision and head out to take care of something before Rus managed to put it off. Again. 

Rus dug through their hall closet, pawing through mittens who’d lost their mate and sandals that never got worn, a tennis racket, the leash for the pet rock. Searching until he found a pair of boots in his size. Normally, Rus alternated between his fuzzy slippers and his sneakers, but then, normally he didn't end up standing in the snow for very long. His morning exercise routine used to be a quick shortcut to his sentry post where his tootsies would be propped up out of the slush as he settled into nap mode.

But since it’d been unanimously decided that he shouldn’t teleport while he was smuggling skittens under his shirt, this trip would have to be made on foot. 

Yay.

Wasn’t a quick little stroll around the block, either. Once he got out of Snowdin proper, his path led through the woods. Past all the Buns’ sentry stations with a few quick pauses to scratch behind ears, trying to fend off any excited rabbity enthusiasm. Everyone in Snowdin knew by now, his little butterball belly might not be real obvious with his loose sweatshirt, but he’d told Muffet when he went to pay off his tab, just to explain why he wasn’t stopping in as much. 

There was no gossiper like someone with hundreds of spiderlings at their disposal. 

So far, seemed like everyone was okay about it. Not that he was thinking anyone was gonna kick them out of town or anything, Monsters didn’t usually roll that way, but it was kinda nice to have it confirmed. His own link in the gossip chain told him the big question buzzing around was who is the daddy. On the Undernet, there was a betting pool and there were a lotta names from some of his old one-nighters on the list. 

He really hoped Blue was the one with a hefty bet on ‘other’.

Scrolling through the list only made Rus scoff. It was almost insulting, really. Sex was one thing, one great, messy, fun thing, but did anyone really think he would’ve shared his soul with any of them? Not likely. 

(He still had a hard time believing he’d done it with Edge; impulsive, sure, but not usually that impulsive. The memory of it was blurry, pleasure-soaked and sweet, Edge desperately asking and him blindly agreeing, the hot press of souls, the brilliant surge of magic between them)

Seeing the Buns was good, though. Once he’d been taken off sentry duty and toned down on the visits to Muffet’s, he didn’t see them much anymore, and he couldn’t help laughing as all of them hopped over to wriggle excitedly around him. Even Greater Bun scrambled out of their armor in the hopes of more pets. 

They were too polite to nose at his brand-new belly, (most of them, anyway, Lesser Bun gave it a hopeful nudge, but sighed sadly when Rus stepped back before he obligingly went back for the normal scritches, teeth chattering happily)

But they all loved little ones of any kind, had to really when they had that many of their own. Bunaressa accepted pats almost solemnly, whispering to him. *I am knitting something for your baby.*

“that’s really sweet of you,” Rus said, honestly. He crouched down where Bunamy was flopped in the snow and gave him a furious scratching behind his long ears while he huffed out a contented groan, “don’t forget, they aren’t gonna have a tail, so only four limbs and a head.”

Both of them laughed in their bunny way even as Rus struggled to stand back up. His belly wasn’t that big yet, but he wasn’t exactly used to having one at all so it threw his balance a little off. He wobbled unsteadily, almost dropping back into the snow. 

Bunamy caught his elbow, steadying him, “Careful, there. Do you need us to come along?”

*Yes, we can come along, keep you safe!*

“that’s super nice of you guys, but i’m good,” Rus grimaced. The last thing he wanted was another bodyguard, he’d only just kicked the habit. 

Bunno was the only one a little distant, eh, no surprise there. He’d been that way since Rus shut down the pussy factory. There was probably some pun in there about cats and rabbits, but Rus wasn’t much in the mood to figure it out. He left Bunno smoking his carrot, heading further down the path. 

Out here, the woods were quieter, the only sound his boots crunching on the frozen path. He went past his own sentry post where no one was currently stationed. Not much to see there and Rus wondered if Alphys would assign him back after the kid was born. He wasn’t sure. He had to work, no option there, he wasn’t about to let Blue be the only one bringing in the G. But he also wasn’t sure yet what they were gonna do about the skitten. He kicked idly at a pinecone as he walked, shoving that thought out of his mind. One thing at a time. 

Onward, ho. Through the too-wide bars on the bridge that were almost not too-wide enough for his growing belly. He squeezed between them and earned a hearty kick in his floating rib for his trouble. Seemed like the kid didn’t care for the walls closing in, who could blame ‘em? Rus gave his belly a soothing rub, murmuring, “easy, baby, no more squeezing.”

Until they went home, but eh, that bad news could come up later. 

The walk was taking more out of him than he’d expected, and Rus was panting by the time he got to the door, wiping his sweaty forehead on his sleeve before it could freeze to his skull. Probably Red would have a fit if he heard about the lack of hat and gloves, but it turned out building a skitten from scratch made a fella pretty damn hot. There were times Rus felt like steam should be sizzling off the top of his skull whenever he stepped outside and chilly as it was, right now the cold was soothing on his overheated bones.

He dusted snow off one of the steps and sat down, catching his breath even as it fogged out around him. Once he was as comfy as he could be, all things considered, Rus reached back behind his head to rap his knuckles on the door he was leaning against. “knock knock.” 

Rus waited, not terribly surprised that there wasn’t an answer. It’d been weeks since he’d come. 

The minutes ticked away and Rus reached back, tried again, “knock knock.”

Again, nothing. Rus pulled his lighter out of his pocket, flicking it open and shut absently, the sound of it loud in the quiet. He’d quit smoking, but it felt too strange not to have his lighter with him, the weight of it a familiar, comforting presence when everything around him was strange. He thought about knocking again, wondered idly how long he was planning on sitting here alone with the wind whispering through the trees around him. 

Fuck, he wanted a cigarette.

“when you decide to make an appearance, kid, the first thing i’m doing after we shake hands is having a smoke.” Rus flicked the lighter closed decisively. “course edge might have a thing or three to say about that. blue’s already been at me, says since i’ve quit for this long, i should keep it up. edge would probably agree.”

Rus trailed off. Edge. Yeah. 

Every time he thought he had things figured out with that guy, Edge threw a curveball for him to fumble. Like the past few nights, going from sleeping in his bed to putting it to a better use. He hadn’t really been expecting it considering that Edge hadn’t made a move on him since he’d learned about the baby. Thinking back on Edge walking in on him three fingers deep was a little embarrassing now, but hey, it got results. 

Now Rus only wished he knew what it all meant. 

“curveball, yeah,” Rus sighed. He slipped a hand under his sweatshirt and the cold bones of his hand against the firm swell of encasing magic made him waffle between flinching away and leaning into the soothing cool of it. The baby stirred under his touch, shifting inside him in that weird, alien way it had. “see? you know what i mean.”

Rus had been perfectly happy with his life before they got the machine working. Okay, maybe happy was an exaggeration but the point still stood. He’d been getting by, content to spend his days sleeping at sentry stations and his nights behind Muffet’s bar, finding ways to ~~feel alive~~ stay awake. It was fine, Blue never said a word about it except to scold him a little on mornings he stayed out too late, because his bro was awesome that way. 

Then he met Edge and his whole daily schedule was fucked along with him.

“completely fucked up,” Rus sighed, then he winced, rubbing a thumb along the stretching pseudo-skin where the itch sometimes threatened to drive him crazy. “don’t make that your first word, okay, papa edge would never let me live it down.”

He hadn’t even liked Edge when he first met him. The way he dared to show off as a smug, self-righteous prick when he was touting around that much LV. Took a little while for Rus to pull his head out of his pelvic cavity enough to recognize that maybe someone from murder world might need that kind of control over themselves, because fuck knew there wasn’t much else he could control. 

“he tries, though,” Rus murmured. A flutter of movement under his hand and Rus nodded firmly. “that’s right, your papa tries so damned hard.”

Once he got that figured out, didn’t take too long for Rus to decide that maybe a little narcissism was okay, especially when it let you sleep with your smokin’ hot alternate for another world. That Edge went along with it was the real surprise; Rus liked to think he was pretty irresistible when he actually kicked on the charm, but he hadn’t actually expected it to _work_. That first time, Edge’s hands were shaking when he cupped Rus’s face, leaning in for a kiss—

Rus shifted, a different sort of heat warming his pelvis. Yeah, time to think about something else, damn, why did being pregnant go hand and crotch with being horny all the damn time?

But whatever, he’d been okay with doing things the way Edge wanted it. Casual. Occasional. Rus didn’t really do relationships either, thanks. The couple times one of his part-timers put in an offer for a full-time position, Rus knocked them off his list.

Until Edge.

They’d never even talked about what they were.

“not even sure there are words, kid,” Rus sighed and the baby kicked in commiseration. “friends with benefits? only, i’m not sure we even got the friends part.”

It was something, though. Once they got going, Rus found that nights in the alley behind Muffet’s with bricks rough against his back while someone fucked him against the wall wasn’t appealing anymore and neither was getting the knees of his pants soaked with snowmelt while he moaned around someone’s cock.

What he got from Edge was a lot less often, but Rus _wanted_ it, so much more.

“quality over quantity, kid, make a note,” Rus murmured. The lighter clacked shut in agreement.

He wondered if Edge knew. They’d never talked about it and it was pretty obvious Rus wasn’t sleeping around now. Even if anyone out there found his shift from stick figure to pumpkin appealing, the state of their new nightly entertainment was proof of that much.

But then, Edge also never questioned that the baby was theirs.

“wasn’t supposed to go this way.” The words sounded too loud in the stillness but they were true. A few random nights were supposed to be all Edge had to offer. That was fine, wasn’t like Rus was some kind of hot catch either. 

Until the skitten showed up and knocked them off the rails.

“not that it’s your fault,” Rus told his belly reassuringly. “you didn’t ask for us to drag you into this.” It was always the innocents who got screwed up by other people’s bullshit, wasn’t it. Screwed up, fucked over, left behind, left alone. “not you, though, kid. i’m gonna take care of you. we will. we’re gonna be good. i promise.”

He could taste salt-sweet tears at the back of his throat, stupid fucking pregnancy maudlin shit. Rus reached back with a clenched fist, pounding it against the door, “knock, knock!”

He almost fell off the fucking step when deep voice replied, muffled through the door, “Who’s there?”

Rus closed his sockets, exhaling shakily. His voice sounded normal enough, pitched to be heard through the door, “otto.”

“Otto who?”

“otto tell you i didn’t mean to be away so long.”

They both laughed and if Rus was a little too loud, giddy with relief, his pal through the door said nothing.

They’d spent plenty of afternoons like this, calling jokes back and forth to each other until Rus was practically rolling in the snow, the miasma of apathy that always seemed to hang threateningly over him blown away. 

Rus sighed, his breath clouding the air. Today wasn’t gonna be one of those days, but he felt like he’d owed his friend this much. For a promise he wasn’t gonna be able to keep. 

“listen. i’m sorry it’s been a while since i was able to visit,” Rus told him. Even through the door he could hear his companion shifting his weight as he sat and he wondered, not for the first time, exactly what sort of Monster was hiding in those ruins. “but this isn’t a return to the status quo. i wanted to give you a heads up i might not be able to make it back for a while.”

“Is something wrong?” Concerned, yeah, that much Rus expected. His pal always struck him as being someone’s dad. Maybe someone who _used_ to be someone’s dad; there was an undercurrent of sadness in his deep voice that no amount of puns could chase away.

“depends on your definition of wrong,” Rus admitted. “i’m...uh...well, i kinda traded knock knocks for knocked up.”

“You’re pregnant?”

Rus grinned and said teasingly, “you sound surprised.” Fuck that, he sounded shocked, and Rus was kinda curious to hear why. 

His buddy didn’t let him down. “I am. I knew all skeleton monsters can carry, but, and please accept my apologies for assuming, you didn’t speak of anyone in your life except your brother.”

That seemed like a great question to avoid, but luckily, he had another good one to latch onto. “how did you know i’m a skeleton monster?”

“Your accent. Skeletons have a certain hollow ring in their voices, I’m assuming because it echoes within your skulls.”

Rus sat up straight, turning to stare at the door behind him. An accent, really? Fuck, he’d never noticed it, maybe cause he was used to the sound? “you serious?”

“Of course not.” Rus huffed out a laugh, settling back down as his pal went on, “It’s the puns you make. A skele-ton of them. Even then, I wasn’t certain, but you seem to have confirmed it. How far along are you?”

It was the sort of question he’d been avoiding with anyone in town, but out here with a door between them, it was easier somehow to say. “soul descended a couple weeks ago and by the way, that sucked, no one told me it was gonna suck, i’m gonna write my own damn pregnancy book when this is over and the first chapter is gonna describe all the ways it sucks.”

From the other side of the door came a sound of pure commiseration. “Ah, but it’ll be worth it in the end, when you’re holding your child in your arms.” A pause, then hesitantly, “Are you keeping the child?”

“hell yeah, i am,” Rus grumbled. “i’m not digging through all this cereal not to have a prize at the end.”

“Yes, of course. Of course you are.” There was something odd in his pal’s voice but before Rus could ask, his tone changed entirely. “You should head home. There’s a storm coming.”

Rus frowned, glancing upward. The air in between the ground and the cave ceiling was as clear as Snowdin ever got. “you sure?”

“No jokes this time, I’m afraid. I can feel it.”

Snowstorms in the underground were caused by magic, not any sort of weather pattern. That his pal could feel that incoming surge of power was another clue about them, but now wasn’t the time for games. Bad storms were rare, but they could be dangerous as hell. Rus pushed up awkwardly to his feet, struggling to get properly upright. “i’ll try to stop by after the kid is born, yeah?”

He never could’ve guessed his pal’s reply, “I think it would be best if you didn’t. Take care, my friend. Goodbye.”

“wait, what? hang on!” He could hear movement behind the door, the sound of a heavy bulk moving, standing, walking away. He pounded on the door until his fist ached. “come on!" 

There was no reply, but Rus didn’t really expect one. He scrubbed a hand over his face, impatiently brushing away the dampness that was starting to leak from his sockets. Fuck it, the snow was starting to fall, he didn’t have time to be crybabying. Rus turned on his heel and started back towards Snowdin, let his long legs eat up the distance. 

It was no use. By the time he was past the bridge, the snowfall was constant. It was already getting hard to see, there was no way he was gonna make it back to town, not when he couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face. 

What he could see was his sentry station looming up ahead and Rus managed to wade to it through the rising snowdrifts. It wasn’t much, but it was partially enclosed, he wouldn’t be getting buried at least. 

The chair inside was a spindly piece of junk and Rus wasn’t about to trust it with his new weight. He went all the way to the back of the shelter, sitting down in a corner that was least touched by the blowing wind. He tucked his hands into his pockets, tugged up the hood of his sweatshirt. A quick check on his phone told Rus what he already knew; the storm was cutting off his signal, he wouldn’t be sending messages anytime soon and he hadn’t told anyone where he was going because he wanted some time on his own. 

Well, he was sure as fuck getting his wish now, wasn’t he. 

He wasn’t actually too worried; the sentry post made for a pretty crap shelter, but he had some food in his inventory, his craving for spider donuts was endless. The storm would probably blow over by morning and then he could head for home.

No, what worried him was Blue and Edge not knowing where he was. The last thing he wanted was the two of them out in the storm looking for him. Wasn’t much he could do other than fret about it and Rus was sure he’d be doing that plenty. 

A couple hours later Rus wasn’t so confident. The wind was howling ferociously, whipping through the little sentry post and carrying with it painful specks of sleety snow. Rus gave up on his pockets and pulled his arms into his sweatshirt, wrapping them around his belly to offer whatever meager warmth he could. It was so cold, so much worse than he’d been expecting. This storm was a much worse tantrum than Snowdin usually offered, no gentle snowfall here, but howling wind pounding against his little shelter. 

Rus still had his lighter, a heavy weight in his hoodie pocket, but the only thing around to burn was the sentry post. Probably be a poor life choice to burn down the roof over his head. 

No, over their head. The baby was wriggling vigorously; their souls were still attuned, and they were picking up on his distress. 

“shhh, it’s okay, kiddo,” Rus mumbled through numbed teeth. “it’ll be fine. we’ll be okay.”

He suddenly remembered Red’s rough voice telling him that his soul would let go of the souling before letting his HP drop to zero. It hadn’t been the comfort Red seemed to think it would be, Rus didn’t want either of them to…to let go. He curled up tighter, murmuring soft reassurances to his baby, who surely couldn’t hear a word. 

He was too cold, teeth chattering, his shivering constant; he needed to do something.

The chair.

Rus staggered to his feet and picked it up with numb hands, smashing it down on the floor. It splintered apart instantly, fragments scattering. Rus gathered them up awkwardly, kicking them into a pile. There wasn’t much in the station, not even his usual scattering of honey bottles. Blue must’ve cleaned up one day. In his inventory, all he had were the spider donuts, each wrapped in their own square of wax paper.

He crumpled those up to use as a sort of kindling, tucking the paper balls around the splintered wood. For a minute, the lighter refused to work, the blowing wind and his frozen hands working against him. 

“come on, you motherfucker,” Rus muttered. He held it in both hands, thumbed down on the rasp as hard as he could and a wavering flame leapt up. 

The paper caught easily, Rus shielding the flame as best he could with his body until the broken bits of the chair began to smolder. The warmth was pathetic, wavering outward and Rus hunched desperately over it. His hands were so cold the pain was starting to fade, but he couldn’t worry about that. He curled as close to the fire as he could, trying as much as possible to direct that heat to his belly.

“sorry, kid,” Rus mumbled. He was _so_ cold. “i always was a fuck up, don’t know why i thought this time’d be different.” He tipped his skull back so the tears he could feel forming didn’t slide down to freeze on his face, instead tasting them on the back of his tongue, nauseatingly sweet. 

At first, he thought the sound was only the wind, howling in the distance. Slowly, Rus started to realize it wasn’t from the storm but from something getting closer, something living. 

Something living that whipped open the little door on the side of the sentry station, letting in a painful spray of snow and cold but also a huge body, ducking and turning sideways to even get inside. 

“greater bun?” Rus croaked out. He wasn’t entirely convinced he wasn’t imagining this, his mind painting him a rescue that wouldn’t be coming. 

Greater Bun wasn’t real chatty on a good day. He grunted once, happily, his large pink nose wriggling as he scooped Rus into hefty arms, carrying him outside into the storm. Where a sled was waiting, Bunamy at the lead with Lesser Bun and Bunaressa harnessed behind him. 

Greater Bun settled him in the sled into a nest of blankets before abandoning his armor, diving into the sled to lay against Rus. He burbled out an encouraging whine and Rus gratefully buried both hands into that heavy, silky fur, nearly crying at the aching warmth. 

A screech from Bunamy cut through the howling winds and they were off. 

The ride back to Snowdin wasn’t as fast as a shortcut but it felt pretty damn close. Long Bun legs leapt easily through the snowfall, the sled careening after it. Rus drew a blanket over his face to protect it from the slashing wind, clinging fiercely to Greater Bun. He didn’t protest the grip, snuggling in close and setting his head on Rus’s knee. The warmth was lulling and Rus didn’t even notice falling asleep, only jolting awake as the sled came to a stop.

He looked up blearily, taking in the blinking Gyftmas lights from his own front porch through the heavily falling snow and…oh. His brother was standing with an expression of such concern Rus could only swallow against his guilt. Next to him was Edge and the fury in his expression made Rus cringe. He didn’t have a single fucking excuse, he’d risked their kid with his own stupidity, not even bothering to leave damned note to say where he was going when a dozen or more careless post-its surrounded a sock in his own living room. 

“i’m sorry,” Rus began, miserably, already knowing Edge wasn’t going to forgive him. Why the fuck should he. Rus deserved that anger, deserved whatever choice words Edge used to rip him open, idiot, fucking _idiot_ , and—

Being scooped out of the sled, blankets and all, into Edge’s arms where he was held with fierce tenderness was probably not anything he deserved, but fuck if Rus wasn’t gonna take it. He wrapped both arms around Edge’s neck and held on tight, ignored the warm tears he could feel seeping down his cold face. Fuck, why was crying all he could do right lately?

“Never worry me like that again!” Edge growled against the side of his skull, but it wasn’t anger Rus heard. It was a plea, desperate and thickly said. 

“i’ll try,” Rus whispered. The world whirled around, Edge carrying him towards the house. A crowd was gathering, voices from Snowdin, congratulating the Buns on a rescue well done, wondering curiously and a little too loud about the skeleton carrying Rus away. 

Welp. Wasn’t much question of who the baby daddy was anymore. He really did hope Blue won the betting pool.

The second they were in the house, Edge peeled the snow-crusted blankets away, kneeling to help Rus off with his boots. Rus tried to help and wobbled unsteadily almost doing a somersault right over Edge’s head. Edge braced him even as Rus caught his uncertain balance. The baby squirmed, a weird rolling movement that made Rus wince, “don’t worry, the baby is fine.”

“Are you fine?” Edge countered, glaring up at him. 

That made him blink. “um. yeah? i really wasn’t out there too long, probably get to keep all my toes.” 

He waggled them in Edge’s grip, wincing as Edge rubbed them firmly, checking each one for feeling. “That’s not funny.”

“sorry,” Rus said, softly and Edge paused, his head dropping briefly. He looked back up at Rus, the crimson of his eye lights softened.

“No, don’t apologize. I don’t mean to yell,” Edge said heavily. “It wasn’t your fault. Blue said the storm came on unexpectedly and you couldn’t know how long the walk would be. You’re too accustomed shortcutting everywhere, your perception on distances is probably skewed.”

“must be.” Rus agreed. Edge was so agitated, he probably would have agreed to anything. His hands moving over Rus restlessly, checking toes and fingers for frostbite, brushing over the slight ridge of his nasal canal, the delicate rims of his sockets. 

“You seem fine,” Edge murmured distractedly. His fingertips were sharp, his touch careful as it drifted along Rus’s cheekbone. 

Rus swallowed hard and managed, “i must remind you of red, huh?”

That snapped Edge out of it. He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“cause i _passed mustard.”_

Yeah, that was the face of someone who was regretting a lot of life choices. 

Except, maybe not, because he was cupping Rus's face in both his gorgeously warm hands, leaning in to brush their mouths together. Edge always smelled faintly spicy, the kind that made Rus think not of tacos, but gingerbread cookies, fresh from the oven. That kiss moved to brush across his forehead instead, affectionately, testing his temperature as much as—

(affection? does he get to call it that?)

— as anything.

Then Edge sighed and drew away. “Sit down, get wrapped up,” he ordered. “There’s soup heating on the stove and I’ll get you some tea."

Never let it be said Rus couldn’t follow orders after he nearly died out in a snowstorm. He settled on the sofa, dragged the pile of blankets over him and it was only when he was tucking them in that he realized Edge hadn’t even touched the little rounded pot of his belly. All that concern had been directed at him.

Huh.

The door opening and his brother coming in blew that thought away as Rus was absurdly caught in a different storm, this one of his brother scolding him vigorously, “What were you thinking, Pappy, why did you want to go out to that nasty Sentry station anyway, what would you have done if you saw a Human!”

He let Blue ramble on. His bro didn’t even pause when Rus snagged him by the scarf and reeled him in, tucking his warm little body next to him like his own bony hot water bottle. 

Edge came out with soup and tea, and they all sat together as Blue turned on the television, bundled in blankets, and it was like…like…

Like family.

But the thought of family made Rus wonder where Red was. He should be here too, there was plenty of room on the sofa. His memory of the souling descending was vague and clouded with pain, but there was something there, something Red told him, what was it?

Eh, he was too tired to figure it out today. But he stuck a note on his mental fridge, that he was gonna need to corner Red. Just as soon as he figured out the questions.

* * *

tbc


	7. That Place Where You Can't Remember and You Can't Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red is back and things are going swell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Implied underage pregnancy. Implied miscarriages. Past Trauma.

* * *

It was deep into the Underground nighttime when Rus wandered downstairs to get something to eat. He still felt a little achy and not all of it was from being stuck in the cold the day before. 

Waking from his post-dinner nap left Rus restless enough for Blue to notice, teasing him about being a squirmy wormy, but there was no good way to tell his bro that the real problem was he was horny, plain and simple, and could he please get the fuck out for a couple hours so he and Edge could make some squelching noises? 

Planning wasn’t exactly Rus’s strong suit; the evidence of that preceded him whenever he walked. So it was lucky that Edge more than made up for it. He owed Edge big time for asking Blue if he couldn’t go over to the Librarby for him in search of a particular puzzle book he’d heard was there. It was pretty good as excuses went; they all knew books were in short supply in Underfell. Blue agreed happily, and if there was a certain knowing gleam in his eye lights when he left, eh, Rus wasn’t much of a planner, but he was pretty good at pretending not to see things he’d rather not. It was a gift. 

The moment the door closed behind his bro, Rus was on his feet and headed towards the bedroom at the fastest waddle he could manage. Ungainly as he was, he didn’t exactly feel like much of a seducer; his heavy belly was pretty much front and center, not exactly what he thought of as a turn on.

Somehow, Edge didn’t seem to mind. His hands and mouth were as eager as when they were only fucking around, hell, more so, he seemed happy to worship every part of Rus, from his toes to the very top of his skull, wringing out orgasms until Rus could only lay back weakly, trembling against the sheets. He wasn’t an innocent by any definition of the word, but some of the heated things Edge whispered to him in the darkness of his (their?) bedroom left him blushing and craving even more. 

That was hours ago, now, Rus had drowsed off while Edge was gently washing him with a lovely, warm washcloth. Now horniness was taking a backseat to hunger, it was always something, wasn’t it? 

Rus squirmed free of Edge’s arms as carefully as he could, slipping on his robe as he crept downstairs. He paused at the door, watching as Edge slept on, his sockets closed, the sharp angles of his face relaxed in sleep. 

Seeing him made something unnamed in Rus’s soul stir, squeezing so tightly he could hardly breathe. He turned away, letting it ease. Whatever that was would have to be a problem for Tomorrow Rus, because tonight, all he wanted was something to eat. 

It was good that he closed the door when he did, because the baby chose that moment to wake up, too. Rus bit back a groan as the baby shifted around, settling right into his pelvic cradle like it was a damn lounger. It didn’t hurt exactly, but it was uncomfortable and the way the kid was wriggling made it feel like they were going to fall down and dangle somewhere between his knees. 

“wish i knew when you were gonna put in an appearance, kid,” Rus muttered. “it’d be nice to stick a pin on a date.” He curved a hand under his belly and gave a hopeful nudge, trying to urge his little skitten to move up a little higher. No dice, the baby only shifted and then settled back in with another demanding squirm, the one that meant on no uncertain terms, ‘feed me!’. 

Rus sighed and started down the stairs. “yeah, i’m going.” 

Seriously, the most frustrating thing about this was dealing with all the unknowns. Undyne did the best she could, but she didn’t know much about skeleton pregnancies. Everything she had she was pulling from old medical journals, but it was looking like they were a little incomplete. For one, she hadn’t known the souling descending would hurt. It didn’t for other Monsters, but then, other Monsters were different. The cost of magic was a lot higher for a skeleton pregnancy, they didn’t have a uterus laying around waiting to get used. On the other hand, they did have the added perk that any skeleton could have a kid since they went with ‘bring your own’ when it came to a body.

Thinking about it made the niggling memories at the back of his mind perk up a little. Undyne hadn’t known it would hurt, sure, but Red had. Red knew an awful lot about soulings and how they descended and--

Before that thought could connect, Rus’s slipper caught on the last stair, tripping him. Even as he started to fall, he flung out his arms to catch himself, split-second thoughts of ‘fuck’ and ‘no’ and ‘not after everything’ swamping him.

But the rush of the hard floor to meet him stopped abruptly, blue magic engulfing his soul, cradling him gentler than he thought possible.

“careful there, mama.” 

“red?” Damned creature of the night. It was like Rus thinking about him summoned him up from whatever hole Red crawled into. The living room was dark, but Rus could see the faint gleam of bluish light from the sofa, coming from a darkened lump sprawled across the well-worn cushions, buried in the blanket Rus left there for emergency naps.

“who else?” Red made a hoarse, chuffing sound that might pass as a laugh. “no one else is gonna get past the spells my bro put on your door locks.”

Wasn’t that the truth. He and Blue were both shocked at the layers of protection that Edge insisted on weaving into the door locks, warnings, shieldings, the works. But neither of them protested it; hey, if a little extra protection made Edge feel better about sleeping over, Rus was all for it. Looked like stopping shortcuts wasn’t included in the package, deliberately or not. 

The floor was still a couple of inches from his dangling slippers and his soul was starting to get that faint achiness from being gripped for so long. Rus waggled his feet, but Red didn’t seem to get the hint. Heck, he wasn’t even sure how Red managed to catch him before he could fall, anyway. 

“hey, unless you’re gonna carry me around like a living backpack, you can let me down,” Rus called. Red made a low sound that seemed to be agreement, because the light pressure on his soul faded, renewed gravity easing him to his feet. The kitchen beckoned, all the delicious leftovers from the enchiladas that Edge and Blue made last night calling to him, but Rus still hesitated. 

Something didn’t seem right about the local gargoyle. 

Rus made his way over to the light switch and turned it on to the dimmest setting. Even so, a pained hiss came from the sofa, Red slinging an arm over his sockets. Like bare bone was gonna work as a mask? Closer to the sofa, there was a familiar green stink in the air, one that Rus knew very well, indeed. 

Okay, yeah, if he had a guess, he was gonna say Red was stoned out of his melon.

“where’ve you been?” Rus asked, amused. The crumpled paper bag on the coffee table offered a clue, even if there were nothing but crumbs inside. “over at muffet’s? please tell me you behaved.”

Red offered another laugh, his arm sliding down to let him peer lazily out. “relax, mama, boss would have my ass if i caused trouble over here in your pretty lil’ world.”

If Edge could pin him down long enough to talk to him, maybe. 

But that was a problem those two were gonna have to fix on their own. “didn’t happen to bum a smoke off bunno while you were there, did you?”

That sharky grin of Red’s widened. “mebbe. that a problem, mama?”

Yeaaasssh. A while back, Rus helped Bunno rig the hydroponics for his weed farm and every one of those little plants was babied into maturity. Even half a blunt usually put Rus down for the count and Bunno could be pretty damned generous with his stash.

Ignoring the ‘mama’ thing seemed easier than trying to argue about while Red was blazing trails. “you hungry?”

Sockets slit open, reddish eye lights rolling in his direction, “you offerin’?”

“yeah. let me go warm it up. don’t run off now.” If he was even half as messed up as Rus usually got from it, he probably couldn’t even get his feet facing the same direction if he wanted to.

Red seemed like he knew it, too. That sharky grin of his tipped higher and he closed his sockets again. “do my best.”

The enchiladas were neatly put away in the fridge, just like he’d known they would be. Blue always made a little extra for dinners these days; there was no telling how many might be at the table, plus leaving plenty of leftovers for growing skittens. 

Rus was never gonna earn a chef’s hat, but he could manage warming up the goods and dishing it out. The smell was making him drool and the baby was doing a tango up his spine by the time he brought the plates out. He plopped Red’s on the coffee table with a thump and sat on the sofa with his own, ready to dig in. His belly made for a decent tv tray if he kept a hand on the plate. He was still mourning the loss of an entire bowl of oatmeal from an enthusiastic kick sending it flying. 

Blue thought it was funny as hell and even Rus bursting into stupid tears hadn’t stopped him from laughing. It was pretty hilarious now and little embarrassing, but at the time, losing that oatmeal had seemed like a devastating blow to his hunger. 

He refused to let his enchiladas suffer the same fate. 

The blanket was stirring, Red slowly emerging like a creature from the deep. Rus couldn’t hold back a groan of pleasure as he scooped up his first bite, holy shit, when Blue and Edge combined their culinary powers, they made some damned good eats. Red seemed to be in agreement if the way he started chowing down meant anything, slurping down noisy mouthfuls.

The kid probably liked their secondhand version of it, too, given the way they were squirming. Rus winced, rubbing at his roiling belly. Seriously, it was weird watching it. He’d seen other preggers Monsters a time or two and they always seemed to have cute, round little tummies brimming with baby. Meanwhile, Rus’s always looked sort of lumpy depending on what side the baby was leaning on, and seeing it from the outside when a little hand or foot decided to push out was like watching some creepy B movie about alien infestations. Wasn’t exactly comfortable, either.

Through a mouthful of tasty, tasty enchilada, Rus mumbled, “i tell you what, when this kid makes its exit, i got a whole bucket list of things to do. whenever they decide to stop loitering, anyway.”

He wasn’t the only one taking advantage of the lack of scolding brothers. Red was shoveling in the food, wiping his mouth against his shirt as he chewed thoughtfully. “been about twelve weeks now altogether, yeah?” 

“yeah.” His thoughts were sort of tired and jangly lately, but that was a date he could calculate to the minute.

Red only nodded, grunting out, “shouldn’t be much longer, then.”

Again, that confident knowledge. Rus wasn’t sure what to do about it, past trusting that Red was right. He tugged up his shirt, pulling it overtop the bump. The bright orange of the ectoflesh was opaque, hiding the little babybones curled up inside. 

Those tiny bones getting solid and strong, using up all the tasty magic the food generated as they got ready to come out to the world. Would they look like him or Edge? A combination of the two? They were both tall, so the kid had that going for them, but maybe the kiddo would have crimson eye lights and wee little sharp teeth, all ready to gnaw at the table legs when they started crawling. Maybe they would smile with all the delight Edge struggled to show. Maybe, maybe…

Rus couldn’t wait to meet them. 

He stroked a hand over the swollen curve of his tummy contemplatively, “if it’s soon, guess we should start thinking about names.” Edge hadn’t even mentioned names yet, they pretty much stuck with skitten or baby when they talked about them. 

Red only snorted, “don’t bother.”

That made Rus raise some mental eyebrows. “why, you have a suggestion?”

“heh, nah,” Red licked his plate clean, something that would have gotten him a sharp knock on the skull if Edge saw him do it. “skeleton babies are born knowing their names. makes it kinda weird that we all go by nicknames now.” His mouth twisted sourly. “well, most of us. but if you run a check, i'm still sans. can call me whatever you want, it’ll always show me as sans. my soul knows what it wants to be called.” 

Red rolled his head in Rus’s direction. His eye lights were hazy, diffused, crimson muddied with flecks of green, and Rus wondered again how much he’d had to smoke. “y’can usually do a check on their soul, see what the kiddo’s name is. might be able to do it by now.”

Okay, that was some seriously unexpected news, every damn word of it. Rus didn’t really remember his own childhood much, it was weirdly blurred and by the time his mental film got back on track, Blue was a toddler, already fully cooked and walking on his own. Rus didn’t remember ever checking him to see his name. His bun was still baking in the oven, but here was Red telling him he could check the baby. He hadn’t even thought to try it. 

It was tempting, so tempting, but. 

Edge was upstairs sleeping with no idea that Rus was down here getting maternity tips from his stoned brother, and Rus could only imagine how hurt he’d be if Rus did it without him. He’d been freaked out at the beginning, but these days Edge was all over the baby, whispering secrets to the little bump that Rus strained to hear, resting gentle hands on the roundness of his belly in the hopes of feeling a kick. The first few times Edge asked, always so stiffly polite cause he didn’t want to _presume_ , and it was so damned precious that Rus finally gave him blanket permission for belly fondling. 

So long as he threw in plenty of foot rubs, Rus was on board. 

Might be the hardest thing Rus ever did, but he regretfully set that new knowledge aside for sharing time. With any luck, he could catch Edge before he headed off to patrol, give him something to glow about while he was over in Underhell. 

Thinking of which...“where’ve you been, anyway? you missed napstatton.”

His needling backfired unexpectedly as Red chuckled darkly, “was here earlier but you and the boss already went to bed. sounded a little busy, so i decided to take in the sights outside.”

Well, that wasn’t horribly embarrassing or anything. Rus could feel his cheek bones warming. “sorry about that.”

Red only shrugged. He sank back against the sofa cushions, propping one sock-covered foot up on the coffee table, his toes curling over the edge. “eh, it’s part of the deal. your magic is all out of whack, making you horny as a moldsmal in pollen season. may as well enjoy it while you can, ain’t gonna be doing much once the kid is here.” He laced his hands over his middle, tipping his skull back, eye lights examining the ceiling. “went to see my alphys today. me and ol’ al go way back. thought she might like a chat.”

That...sounded weirdly ominous. 

“yeah?” Rus said, cautiously. He’d never met any of the other residents of Underfell, wasn’t even allowed outside to smoke whenever he’d been there. He knew they were more like their alternates in Undertale than here, in that Undyne was Captain and Alphys a scientist. Given what he knew of Underfell, Rus was pretty sure that’s where the similarities ended. He didn’t know why Red felt the need to talk with his Alphys or why he was bringing it up now. Could be that his pot-swirly skull was just yammering. Sure. Could be. But that wasn’t a bet Rus would put a G against. 

Those crimson eye lights slid his way, sharper despite that lingering haze, “you stay out of underfell, you hear me? ain’t no time for picnics or movie nights or whatever shit you all think up.”

Um, yeah. Not a problem. Even if he wanted to take a trip through the void, which he really didn’t, Underfell wasn’t exactly his fave vacation spot; he’d barely ever been there even before the baby bump. Red was still glaring at him, looking for all the world like he was about to drag Rus upstairs and lock him up like some new bald version of Rapunzel.

Hastily, Rus nodded, adding for good measure. “yeah, of course. we’ll keep any picnics local.”

That seemed to be enough. Red relaxed back, his sockets sinking closed again and Rus made a mental note to ask Blue and Edge to maybe not mention his recent storm chasing. He didn’t really want Red to take his bodyguard tendencies to the next level.

Protecting.

_“soulings are fragile until they descend.”_

_“it’s like getting touched with happiness.”_

_“my baby grew up just fine. little stupid, sometimes.”_

Almost-memories churning through his mind, finding each other and connecting. Maybe in the light of day, Rus wouldn’t ask. But here in the deepest part of night, with Red pliable next to him, questions were easy to offer. 

"red?" Rus asked, very softly. "how old are you?"

He didn’t open his sockets. “you already know that. same age as you."

"yeah. about fifteen years older than edge, give or take."

That got him a low chuckle. “afraid you're too old for him? don’t worry, he’s older than he should be and you didn’t age past twelve.”

“my sense of humor is my fountain of youth.” Rus hesitated, searching for words that weren’t land mines, "i was still in stripes when blue was born."

"i expect so."

"so were you, weren't you. when edge came." There. Now it was out there, the words hanging between them like glass ornaments and just as delicate. He didn’t know what he expected to happen, anything from Red shortcutting away to him screaming out abuse, offering his own words, these ones designed to cut deeply, damaging not the body but the soul. 

He expected that and anything in between. But Red didn’t move, didn’t shout. His expression, smoothed by the best weed Underswap had to offer, didn’t so much as twitch. The only reason Rus even knew he heard was when Red finally spoke, low and gruff. 

"papyrus," Red said, deliberately. "don't. let it go."

"'kay," Rus agreed, softly. That was as far as he was willing to pry, anyway. All things considered, he was getting off pretty light. But then Red shifted restlessly, sharpened fingertips scratching at the sofa arm in long, agitated strokes.

“’s why i was so mad, you know.” So softly, Rus straining to hear that raspy whisper. “that he got you knocked up and all. thought he might be like his old man, after all, got some sick fucking need ta spread his seed or some bullshit, and don’t care who it hurts.” His voice thickened, that familiar Hotland accent of his fading back, “the doc tried so many times, so many little soulings that sputtered out, didn’t even get a chance to descend. then there were the other ones, ones that made it further. not far enough, nothing but little bones left to dust. paps was the only one who came out okay.”

For one sickening second, Rus didn’t understand, trying to put those words together in his head in a way that made sense. Having it come into focus didn’t help; his imagination stalled, trying not to picture what Red was telling him. and all he could do was stare at Red in silent horror. 

Red only chuckled hoarsely. His jacket was cast off on the floor by the door, a wilted, empty shell, and without it Red seemed smaller, frailer, his thin t-shirt offering little protection. “heh, don’t need to look like that. it wasn't that bad. doc couldn’t do it the old-fashioned way. barely wanted to touch me at all, much less fuck me.” He shook his head, a wobbly roll of his skull atop his neck, “fun fact, you don’t actually need to have sex to make a souling. it’s the buildup of magic you need, some energy to work as baby batter, lots of it. sex is a good way to build it up, is all.”

“that fact isn’t very fun,” Rus said, thinly. He shivered, curling his arms around his belly where his baby rested, still safe inside. His soul felt cold, colder than it had out in the woods. 

How Red found another laugh, Rus couldn’t begin to guess, “guess not. anyway, the doc had his own method. and who was i, anyway? stupid kid, that’s who, believing a bunch of bullshit promises cause i wanted off the streets. ended up right back where i started, only with a special toy surprise inside.” Red’s smile softened, his gaze distant, “kid was a pain in the ass. used to get so angry over nothing, scream until he was red in the face if he even got his fucking hands dirty. but he was _mine._ ”

His voice was fierceness itself, tempered with bitter nostalgia. “called him brother. it was easier that way. plenty of orphans on the streets, but me with a baby of my own was gonna raise some questions as to who was knocking up the stripers. brothers were better. safer. doc was gone by then, anyway.” Red tipped his head, slanting an unreadable look Rus’s way and he was a fucking _Judge_ , he could read any expression. “you gonna tell him?”

It took a moment for that question to even register. Rus’s head was busy trying to wrap itself around Red having a baby, having Edge, still in stripes while he lugged around a belly like Rus’s, only without anyone making enchiladas or wrapping him up in cozy blankets to nap, or even having a roof over his head. Red on the streets with his baby, calling him brother until it was believed, until that was the only truth out there. 

Tell Edge? Tell him that his fa—brother had been lying to him his entire life. Like Red deserved another weight to shoulder, burdened with possible hate from the one he cared for most for being a scared kid making the choice he thought was best, a choice he never should’ve had to make? Not a fucking chance. 

“no,” Rus said at last, “no, i won’t say a thing.”

A flicker of relief crossed Red’s face, his sockets drifting shut again. “thanks.” He laughed again, a low slur of sound, “you know, for a long time, thought you all might be the same with your bros. couldn’t be sure without askin’. guess not, pretty sure by now you’ve never done this before.”

Rus tried on a laugh of his own, weak and watery, but it was there. “nope, this is my first go-around, probably my last, too.”

“heh. yeah. one skitten is good enough for anyone.”

They both fell silent at that, Rus still trying to absorb that unexpected info glut. He didn’t know if confession was good for the soul, but it sure was exhausting and soon enough Red’s skull was drooping to the side, his breathing going slow and even. 

Rus didn’t quite dare try to move him to a more comfortable position. Instead, he carefully shook out the blanket and let it drift down over him. In his sleep, Red twitched, burrowing into the soft folds with a drowsy grunt. 

Good enough. 

He left their plates where they were, ready to beg forgiveness from his bro for the mess rather than risk waking Red by shuffling around too much. He went back upstairs to his room, careful to avoid the creaky stair.

A quick peek showed Edge was still in bed. He’d moved into Rus’s spot, close to the wall and rolled on his side to face it. Rus stripped off his robe and slipped beneath the sheets in his bare bones and belly to curl up behind him. But the expected comfort did not come. Those strong, scarred bones were cooler than to be expected from someone curled up cozy beneath the covers. His breathing was maybe a little too even, playing false. 

_Fuck._

Very quietly, Rus murmured, “you shouldn’t listen at keyholes. might not like what you hear.”

His soul sank as Edge shifted, proving Rus’s suspicions. He sighed heavily, still facing the wall as he said, evenly, “That is true. Or you may simply hear things you already know.”

Getting rendered speechless was a new trend that Rus couldn’t say he was enjoying.

Whatever Edge thought of his silence, he finally rolled over, his eye lights bright in the darkened room as he studied Rus’s face. “I am sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. You didn’t sign on to be our secret keeper.”

“no,” Rus blurted, “no, it’s okay, it’s…it’s okay.” It’d be even more okay if he did ask, that was a promise Rus would be more than happy to give. So many secrets and all of them burdened with old hurts. But Edge only nodded slowly, his eye lights drifting down, resting on Rus’s belly. 

He reached out, the bed creaking as he shifted, and his hand paused in mid-air, “Would it be all right if I—"

Rus didn’t wait for him to finish, already nodding along as he blurted, “yes.” He wasn’t sure what Edge wanted, but he was good for it. Anything to help settle the ache in his chest; he didn’t want to think of Edge as a child and couldn’t stop. A little baby bones crying over dirty hands while a too-young Red tried to soothe him however he could.

Edge moved closer, curling the lanky length of his body around Rus so that his skull rested on his belly. Like always, the baby seemed to sense Edge was close, wriggling happily as Edge lightly petted the taut ectoflesh, crooning out soft reassurances until the baby settled, calming. 

They could probably sleep like that, they’d done it before. Except, maybe they needed something else. Something better, a distraction of goodness. Rus swallowed hard and managed to say, “red said that if we might be able to check the baby by now and...and if we did, we could see their name.”

Edge stilled, his startled gaze flying up to meet Rus’s. “Did you want to—”

“you do it,” Rus said, softly. Edge nodded jerkily, his gaze refocusing on Rus’s belly. When the feeling of being checked came it was distant, a brush-by instead of ticklish focus. Edge made a low, choked sound, and Rus couldn’t take it anymore, bursting out, “well?”

“Lucida,” Edge said. The soft wonder in his voice made Rus’s soul clench and just because he didn’t want to name that emotion didn’t mean he didn’t know what it was. “Her name is Lucida.”

The baby kicked hard as if responding to the name. 

Her name. Her. 

Their skitten was a her. Rus let out a laugh, uncaring that it nearly sounded like a sob, tasting his own tears as he whispered, “our baby’s name is lucy."

“Lucy,” Edge agreed, and Rus barely noticed him moving until his mouth was pressed to Rus’s, a fierce kiss tempered by unbearable gentleness and broken only when Edge began scattering those soft kisses over his face. 

Their baby, theirs. And she was gonna have daddies and papas and uncles, everything Rus could possibly offer to her, she was gonna have. All of it, safe and warm and loved.

That was a promise. 

* * *

tbc


	8. Casting Its Shroud Over All We Have Known

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's daylight and Edge has no interest in dealing with the secrets of the night. He's got plenty enough on his mind.

* * *

It was getting harder for Edge to get up in the mornings. Perhaps it was something to do with the differences in the universes that the mattresses were more comfortable. Or perhaps it was that the Swap brothers had a better furnace in their house and better blankets on their beds, keeping the space beneath the covers so toasty warm that it was difficult to leave it behind and head out into the cold Snowdin air in two different Universes. 

Or perhaps it was the fact that Rus was beneath those blankets with him and Edge was finding it more difficult by the day to leave Rus behind. 

With great reluctance, Edge forced himself to climb out of the embrace of covers and Rus’s arms, hissing at the chill against his bare bones as he skinned into his trousers. Still in the bed, Rus made a dissatisfied little sound as he rolled into the warm spot Edge left behind without even waking up. And no wonder, he’d been up far too late last night on his talk with Red, he needed his rest. 

Edge refused to think too deeply about that particular conversation. Last night’s secrets were best left in the darkness they crept out in. That was a door his brother closed a very long time ago and Edge had no interest in forcing it open. Red was his brother, he would always be his brother, and soon, he would be an uncle. Edge could only hope that he was willing to step into that role when the time came.

By the time he was finished dressing, Rus managed to somehow swathe himself into a ball of blankets and sheets, the top of his skull barely visible above the tangle. Hopefully, he’d sleep for some time yet. The baby was growing in leaps and bounds, Blue had already let out Rus’s normal pants twice and now Rus stuck with a pair of pajama pants and a very oversized sweatshirt that still didn’t manage to hide his rounded belly. Carrying around that unaccustomed weight was visibly exhausting for him, along with the constant drain on his magic that no amount of rest or food seemed to fully replenish. Despite Blue and their Undyne’s assurances that Rus was healthy enough, seeing him so worn was disheartening, especially since there was little Edge could do to help.

Soon, Edge told himself, soon the baby would be here, and Rus would never need to endure this again. 

As unlikely as it was that anything would wake Rus, Edge shut the door carefully and made his way downstairs. He stepped out into the bracing cold and started to walk around the house to the basement stairs, his mind on his patrol, his scheduled training with Undyne tomorrow, and not at all on the happenings of the night before. He did not want to think about crouching in the dark, listening as Red slurred out the answers to the rumors Edge heard whispered around New Home whenever he was forced to meet with Asgore, he didn’t, and— 

Years of living on the streets in Underfell ingrained in him a sense of constant awareness and Edge turned instinctively towards the figure coming up behind him at the first crunch of a boot through the crust of snow. 

“Hey!” He only caught a glimpse of hulking yellow shouting at him before it moved in a blur, hands lashing out as they hurled axes formed from magic at him. Edge knew a killing attack when one was coming and this one was not. He dodged the axes easily and they struck the house without so much as denting the siding, dissolving in a burst of lightning. Edge dove for cover behind a tall pine tree and crouched down in wait, his own burning magic pulled forth and ready to sally an attack of his own as he eyed his opponent warily. 

Alphys. 

But not any Alphys he’d ever known. Edge hadn’t met this world’s version, he’d only seen her picture in passing, but there was no mistaking her. The facial resemblance to his own was uncanny and that was where the similarities ended. 

No thick-lensed glasses for this version of Alphys. She was taller, close to Edge’s height, but much broader, a massive, hulking size. The arms of the jacket she wore against the cold strained, bulging muscles concealed beneath the cloth and one of her eyes was scarred and unseeing, milky white in contrast the blue blaze of the other. The claws on her hands were longer, sharper, and so were her teeth, every inch the ferocious Monster of Human legends. 

She drew closer and Edge watched calculatingly, noting that her size certainly did not inhibit her movements; she walked with the grace of a predator and had the intelligence to stay out of arm’s reach. This was a formidable foe and from the way she eyed him up and down, she did not return that sentiment, saying bluntly. “You must be the baby daddy. You look like someone Papyrus would hook up with.”

Well, then. Edge stood up and stepped out from behind the tree to glare at her, since the rule of the day seemed to be rudeness given and rudeness returned, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She ignored the question, stamping in closer to loom in front of him. “I got something to say, so listen up, deadbeat. Papyrus can be a shitty brother and he’s a worse sentry. But if you hurt him, I’ll twist you around so hard you’ll be able to see your tailbone by looking up, you get me?” 

He supposed she expected him to be irritated, angry, perhaps even to attack her. The thrumming static of magic was heavy in the air, she was braced and ready to absorb anything he sent her way. But Edge was already letting his formed magic drain away, he wasn’t angry in the slightest. On the contrary, it was comforting to know there was at least one person in Underswap who dealt properly in threats. 

He lowered his head in a slight bow, allowing a small concession. “That’s good to know,” Edge said honestly. “Thank you for looking out for him.”

That must not have been the reaction Alphys was expecting. She blinked and every emotion she felt was on display as it ran across her face, confusion, irritation, a bare hint of cautious respect. It was so like his Undyne that Edge fought against a smile; her inability to keep her emotions properly under wraps was at least one of the reasons Undyne’s helmet had a face shield. Edge’s ability to school his features to bland unreadability was impeccable and he did, meeting Alphys’s scowling glare with calm sincerity.

“Guess you must not be too bad,” Alphys conceded grudgingly. She gave him a hard poke in the sternum with a finger that protruded from a fist nearly the size of a canned ham, “I’m watching you, deadbeat.”

“I’m sure you—"

Alphys didn’t wait for him to finish. She spun on her heel and tromped away, tail dragging in the snow as she headed in the direction of Underswap’s Waterfall. 

The childish temptation to send an attack between her shoulders to knock her face-first into the snow was nigh on overwhelming. Edge resisted it; to begin with, Rus would likely not appreciate him going to war with the captain of the Underswap guard over a simple shovel speech. He also didn’t have the time to deal with the inevitable aftermath right now and regretfully, he turned towards the back of the house and headed to the basement stairs. Perhaps he could ask Blue to bring him along on one of his training sessions, a chance to spar with an unknown Monster was tantalizing, he might even learn a new move or two to use against his Undyne—

He spun around, magic surging to the fore again as words came out of nowhere around him. 

“good thing you didn’t kill her, woulda pissed the blueberry off something awful.”

The speech was echoing, directionless, and Edge turned slowly, searching, until he caught sight of crimson eye lights peering slyly around the side of the house, Red’s serrated teeth curved in an irritating smile. 

Edge shook away the attack and lifted his chin, stalking past his brother to the door. “You’ve hardly spoken to me for weeks and you think now is the time to interject your opinions?”

Red only shrugged and fell into step behind him through the door, their boots plodding heavily on the stairs. “what’s it matter? ain’t like you listen either way. you headed back home?”

“I am headed back to Underfell, yes.”

“uh huh.” Red shoved his hands into his pockets, watching as Edge turned on the machine. It hummed obediently to life and he keyed in the coordinates for their universe. “so this’s what you’re planning’ on doing, then? keep hopping back and forth, hoping one day you don’t zig instead of zag and get your ass dusted?”

“I don’t have an expansive selection of choices.” The moment the whine of the machine hit its highest pitch, Edge stabbed the button to open the portal. Shimmering, silent blackness formed in the gateway and Edge stepped through it and into his own universe. Perhaps it was the lingering chill of the void but somehow their basement always seemed colder than the Swap brothers’.

Red was still following him, stomping his feet as if trying to knock off any lingering void as he trailed behind Edge up the stairs. His voice rose over their echoing steps. “maybe not, but you got at least two, all nice and simple; stay here in the dust or stay there with rus and the kid.”

Edge stopped at the top of the stairs, his gloved hand resting on the doorknob. On the other side of the door was Underfell, with its promise of death and dust. And other children, other Monsters who were too weak to defend themselves against the LV hunters. People who needed the guard to protect them and the guard needed a Captain. “We can’t abandon the people of Snowdin.”

“ _you_ can’t abandon them,” Red grumbled out. Behind him, Edge could hear the rustle of clothing, the creak of the stairs as Red shifted his weight. He sighed heavily. “but i can’t abandon you. whatever you decide, boss, i’m with you.”

Edge closed his sockets and let his head drop, his forehead resting on the cold steel of the door. Not that he ever thought Red would abandon him, he hadn’t, but the last few weeks had been…unsettling. His brother had never been so cold to him before, his anger so unyielding towards Edge even as he kept watch over Rus and their child. His brother.

_kid was a pain in the ass, but he was mine_

“Thank you, brother,” Edge said, softly, and he meant every single word.

Then he firmly turned the doorknob and stepped out into his world. Only to be immediately grabbed and slammed back into the side of his house, and the only thing that spared Undyne’s good eye from a bone spearing through it was Edge aborting it so quickly that he felt the burn of backlash in his soul. He fought off the pain, hissing out, “What the fuck are you doing!”

“Me?” she snarled back. She was breathing too hard, agitated and angry, her teeth clenched around a sneer. Her clawed hand was icy around Edge’s cervical vertebra, she hadn’t even bothered to put on a jacket or gloves against the cold. “What the fuck did your brother do to Alphys?”

Ah. That explained the anger. Edge didn’t struggle in her grip, relaxing against the side of the house as he asked calmly. “Is she hurt?”

In her good eye, a tinge of red light suffused her pupil, her voice a near subsonic growl. “Guess that depends on your definition of hurt.”

“Then I suppose she should have considered Sans before she offered me her ‘congratulations’ on my child and asked after my significant other.” Acid fairly dripped from the words, as poisonous as Alphys’s offering of tea.

It took a moment for that to pierce Undyne’s temper but when it did, the manic redness in her gaze faded. Her grip loosened, then she let go entirely, her head dropping down between her shoulders as she hunched down, muttering out a string of curses, each more vile than the last.

Edge straightened his shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles from her grip even as he discreetly dissolved the thin stiletto of a bone that had been concealed in his palm. One of her nails must have torn through the fabric and he scowled, poking a finger through the hole irritably, “I take it she didn’t mention that.”

“Nah, she didn’t.” Undyne offered him a thin, toothy smile. “But she wasn’t talking much, anyway. Don’t think you need to worry about her pestering your skitten.”

 _For now_ , Edge did not say. “You might consider going back to her, it could be she’d appreciate your specific brand of comfort.”

A blotchy, ruddy blush infused her cheeks and she barked out a laugh, “I can get laid on my own, I sure as fuck don’t need any favors from your brother or advice from you, nerd.” A certain gleam rose in her eye, the very opposite of her earlier anger, “’course, it’d be stupid not to take advantage of a mood, wouldn’t it.”

“Do enjoy and do not tell me anything about it,” Edge said, dryly. 

She laughed again, raucously loud, but it faded into an unexpectedly sober look. She glanced around, belatedly lowering her voice as she murmured, “Papyrus? For what it’s worth, I didn’t tell her about the kid.”

“I know.” He hadn’t, but it was good to hear her say it.

“See you tomorrow, nerd.” She turned on her heel and walked away before he could say another word and it was a moment of mirrored déjà vu, watching as she tromped off in the direction of the Riverperson; Undyne giving Edge her back was a deliberate show of her trust, as opposed to Swap Alphys’s insult. 

“you believe her?”

This time his brother’s voice coming from nowhere was not a surprise. “I do, which means you may need to check over the audio distorters.” He finally turned to look up at his brother, who was lounging on the snowy rooftop, his sneakers braced against the gutters and a slender sharpened bone dangling idly between his fingers. Trust him to always be able to find the high ground. He glared at Red sourly. “Care to explain what you did to Alphys?”

Red only shrugged, tossing the bone to dissolve in the air and sending a miniature avalanche of snow to the ground. “heard about your tea party with her. been a while since i saw alphy, thought it might be time we had a chat, reminisce about old times and all.”

“And where did you hear about it?”

His grin widened mockingly, “always tell you, little brother, around here, the walls ain’t the only thing with ears.”

“Nor are they the only things without them, unless you’ve grown a pair. Can you at least assure me that it was worth antagonizing our allies?”

“doubt it. but she ain’t gonna hurt your kid.”

“Did she tell you that?” Edge asked. Red’s confidence was about as trustworthy as his rare promises, honest only to a point. “And do you believe her?”

Red’s grin was a sharpened knife, his eye lights glittering with blood-red sparks. “i do now. better get goin’ on patrol, little brother, those fancy traps of yours won’t check themselves.”

“You—” Red was gone before Edge could remind him that he needed to get to his own damned sentry station. 

He blew out an impatient breath and stalked up the barely cleared path from their basement to the walkways of Snowdin proper. None of the citizens greeted him, instead scurrying out of his path and that was as it should be. His duty to the people here was to protect him from the XP Hunters and the LV-maddened Monsters that haunted the depths of the woods. He was not here for friendship or any companions past those he commanded. He was the Great and Terrible Papyrus and they would do well to remember it. 

He did not spare a thought towards Rus, hopefully still sleeping in the cozy warmth of the bed they’d been sharing, their child still cradled safely in his belly. 

His patrol went as perfect as was possible, considering the events of the morning. All the traps were clear, the Dogs were at their stations. Red’s post was empty but there were fresh footprints in the snow so he’d at least gone there earlier and then vacated before Edge could gripe at him for sleeping on the job. There were only a couple traps left on the very outskirts and he was headed to them when his phone began to ring, a distinct ringtone meant for emergencies only. 

Edge took the moment to check his surroundings, scanning the woods. As anxious as he was to know why Rus was calling, he couldn’t afford to allow himself to get sloppy, especially not when he was alone. Only then did he press the answer call button, lifting the phone to his auditory canal, “Rus? Are you all right?”

The voice on the line was staticky this far away from Snowdin proper, “do you have any pillows?”

Edge nearly asked Rus to repeat it, half convinced that he couldn’t have possibly heard that right. “Pillows?” he echoed doubtfully, fully expecting to be corrected.

“yes!” Rus snapped back testily and that in itself was strange. Even at his most aggravated, Rus kept a firm hold on his temper, offering insults with lazily brutal precision instead of shouts. Anger was effort and he’d always kept his expenditures low. Until now. “pillows! do you have them or not!” 

“I…yes?”

“good.” The relief fairly dripped from Rus’s voice. “i need them.”

“You need…pillows?” Edge repeated. 

“did i stutter?” Through the static on the line, he heard Rus suddenly heave in a clotted breath, so wretched and teary that Edge’s soul clenched in sympathy. “i need pillows!”

“Shh, calm down,” Edge soothed. All right, so it wasn’t a traditional emergency, but Rus’s distress was real enough. He gave his surroundings another glance and turned back to town, his long strides eating up the distance. “Pillows, I hear you, I understand, you need pillows. Yes, we have some, several.”

“can you bring them with you tonight?” Again, that unhappy, hitched breath. “please. i need them.”

“Of course,” Edge said, trying for reassuring even through his confusion. “They’re yours, any we have.” 

Rus let out a shuddery breath, whispering gratefully, “thank you.”

This was passing strange on an already strange day. “Rus? Are you all right?”

“yeah, i’m fine,” Now that he had secured a promise of pillows, he sounded distracted. “i gotta go. stay safe, okay?”

“I wi—” The line went dead before he could finish. Under his breath he muttered again. “Pillows?”

There was really only one way he was going to get an explanation. Edge headed back towards Snowdin, making mental plans. He could send the Dogi to check the last traps; if he phrased it as a show of trust rather than asking a favor, they would do it eagerly, always prepared to demonstrate their loyalty.

The pillows themselves might prove to be another problem. Despite his assurances, he only had a single pillow on his own bed and he wasn’t about to subject Rus to any of Red’s without a chance to sterilize them. They did have a couple of throw pillows, but that meager offering didn’t seem like enough for Rus’s level of upset and Edge could only picture his expression if he brought a mere three pillows as a contribution. No, he’d need to secure extras from somewhere else and there was only one place Edge could reasonably consider. 

He could only hope to survive unscathed.

* * *

“heya, edgelord,” Sans yawned out. He looked up at Edge from where he was leaning against the doorjamb with as much interest as he could muster. From the vague sleepiness lingering over him like a miasma, it wasn’t much.

“Hello,” Edge said curtly. “I’m sorry, I don’t have time for niceties. Do you have any extra pillows I can borrow?”

Truthfully, he had no idea how much time there was, though the chances of Rus dying for a lack of pillows did seem unlikely. What he did know was that speaking with Sans was always simultaneously better and worse than talking to his brother, each tipping to the furthest end of their scale. There might be very little that could work Sans up enough to put the effort into making someone bleed, but his stare was like Red’s, direct and unflinching, always seeing far too much. 

There was nothing in him that Edge wouldn’t allow Red to see, no secrets to keep hidden from him. Sans might resemble his brother, but he wasn’t and Edge was always deeply uncomfortable beneath the endless depths of his gaze. 

That gaze was settled on him firmly now, sleepiness vanishing as Sans’s brow bones climbed up his forehead. Wonderful, now he was intrigued. “pillows?” he echoed.

Suddenly, Rus’s earlier frustrations made much more sense. “Yes, pillows! Soft square things that people lay their heads on. Pillows!”

“yeah, yeah, i get you, don’t get your panties twisted, it’ll ruin the leather.” Sans left the door open and wandered back into the house, leaving it for Edge to close behind him. He was wearing one slipper and trying to slide his foot into the other, socks sagging down his ankles. “lookin’ to cosplay as the stay-puff marshmallow man?”

“They aren’t for me, they’re for Rus.”

That got him a shrewd glance, Sans’s teeth parted in a silent ‘ah’. “gotcha. welp, anything for the upcoming mama.”

“I don’t know why you and Red insist on calling him that,” Edge said irritably, “he doesn’t like it.”

Sans frowned slightly, as much as he could around the constraints of his skull. “no? sorry ‘bout that, he never said. i’ll stop, but i’d guess for your bro that’s the main reason he does it.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”

“how’s things goin’ with rus, anyway, haven’t seen him lately.”

Hardly a surprise. Rus wasn’t supposed to use the machine any more than he should be teleporting, and Sans never seemed particularly fond of it himself. He’d always been perfectly content to allow visitors to come to him and whether that was simple laziness or something else entirely, Edge did not know.

“well?” Sans prompted. “you two doing all right?” His eye lights were pale white, nothing at all like Red’s crimson and yet, somehow, they sent a tremor down Edge’s spine. 

Enough of this. Perhaps Rus’s need for pillows wasn’t a fatal issue, but that didn’t mean Edge wanted to hold off getting them to him. “If you’re warming up for a lecture of some sort, I’ve already spoken to a version of Alphys, my Undyne, and my own brother today. I’m full up, so I’d appreciate it if you could save it for a day when my self-esteem is particularly high and might need taken down a peg or two.”

Sans only looked at him in mild surprise. “no lectures. not really seeing a need for it, seems to me you’re doing okay by rus. ‘course, i’m not privy to all the details, but i don’t really need ‘em. none of my business, unless you’re planning on knocking up my bro, too.” The way his eye lights flickered out was nothing close to mild, and the darkness in his sockets only resembled blackness. “don’t recommend that, by the way.”

As if the same trick his brother often pulled was anything close to a threat. “I’ll keep it in mind if I get any sudden urges to impregnate anyone else,” Edge said dryly. 

“’preciate it. pillows,” Sans said decisively. Between one step and the next he disappeared and then returned only moments later, announcing. “help yourself.”

The mass of fluffiness was worth a brief stare, if only for the shock that the Tale brothers seemed to have an unexpected collection of pillows stowed away somewhere in their home. Edge took Sans at his word, piling in as many into his inventory as would fit. Sans’s easy expression never changed, even as Edge tried to force in yet another. “Won’t your brother mind?”

“paps?” Sans only gave him a one-shouldered shrug. “nah, not if i tell him they’re for rus. he’s pretty excited to meet the kiddo.”

“So am I,” Edge murmured. “Thank you.”

“sure. do us a favor and give ‘em a wash before you bring ‘em back? it’s gonna get a little messy when the baby finally decides to make an appearance, yeah?”

There was something peculiar in Sans’s voice, something that didn’t match his normal lazy ease. It gave Edge a pause and he hesitated, giving Sans a scrutinizing look. Without his hoodie, Sans looked smaller and that too was reminiscent of Red. Even Edge usually only saw his brother without a hoodie when he was too unconscious to prevent it. Sans met that gaze evenly, his smile never faltering. But then, it really couldn’t, could it. 

“I’ll wash them myself,” Edge told him slowly. 

Sans snorted and shook his head. “you know what, don’t make it a priority, you’re gonna be busier than one-armed shit-shoveler pretty damn soon. guess you better head out, if rus’s asking for pillows, he’s getting close.”

“What do you--?”

It was fascinating really, to be steadily herded towards the door by someone who never bothered to take his hands out of his pockets. Edge was standing on the porch with a pillow in his arms before he even noticed he was through the front door and Sans was on the other side of the threshold, offering him an easy little wave. “see you around, edgelord.”

“Thank you agai—” The door closed with a firm click. Edge sighed and said to no one at all, “It would be nice if someone let me finish a single sentence today.”

But as strange as Sans’s pronouncement was, Edge took him at his word. Rus needed pillows for something and if that something was the birth of their child, then time might be at a more of constraint than he suspected. 

Edge headed back to the Tale brothers’ basement at a jog, pillow in hand and Rus was the only thing on his mind.

* * *

tbc


	9. There's a Place I Like To Hide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pillows, so many pillows, Edge has a few thoughts about those and other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Some violence. Angst! Drama! We got it all!

* * *

There was only one chair in Rus’s room, a rolling one that usually sat by his desk in front of the broken-down old computer he used to share terrible puns with the rest of the UnderNet. 

Edge was sitting in that chair, but not at the desk. He’d pulled it around the bed into the far corner. It was safer to sit there than anywhere else. Even the bed, stripped of both blankets and pillows, was not out of the line of fire, as demonstrated by the pillow that flew out of the closet, smacking into the wall before falling onto the bare mattress with a sad thump. 

The same thing had been going on for the past hour, from nearly the moment Edge arrived to deliver his menagerie of pillows. 

Rus had been waiting in the living room, pacing, when Edge arrived. He’d presented his offering of fluffy pillows and most were snatched away, a grateful kiss pressed fervently to his mouth and then gone before Edge could even decide what to do about it. Rus waddled determinedly upstairs with his prize, Edge at his heels with the leftover pillows that were too much for Rus to carry on his own, particularly with his own similarly pillowy physique. He’d watched in silent bemusement as Rus disappeared into the large closet, and there he remained, occasionally crawling out to snag a discarded pillow before diving back in and the sounds of whatever chaos was reigning in that small space echoed through the room.

Despite the occasional thrown pillow, the room was probably as clean as Edge had ever seen it. The floor was barren of its normal litter of socks and trash, vacuumed within an inch of its life. The windows were washed, the baseboards scrubbed. Even the ceiling fan gleamed and the very idea of an ungainly, pregnant Rus tottering on a ladder to wipe it down was nightmare best not considered. Along the far wall were stacks of folded clothes, books, shoes, whatever had been in the closet before its pillow invasion was lined up ruler-neat along the wall.

The amount of clutter the closet held beforehand was evidence that despite a lack of Narnia inside, it was spacious enough for whatever Rus intended, even if Edge still couldn’t fathom what that was. 

The loud thumping noises and occasional curses had stopped coming from the closet a few minutes ago, leaving silence in its wake. Edge rallied his courage and took a chance, cautiously approaching to peer through the half-closed door. 

The pillows and blankets were arranged into a sort of cozy nest and Rus was burrowed exhaustedly right in the middle of it, his sockets barely open. His sweatshirt crumpled into a discarded ball in one corner and the only thing he was wearing was a pair of pajama pants, the waistband pushed beneath the heavy swell of his belly. 

“Are you finished?” Edge asked cautiously.

“think so,” Rus mumbled tiredly. He lifted his head enough to look at Edge, his pale eye lights glowing softly in the dimness. “you coming in?” 

The tone made it seem less a question and more a hopeful desire, one that Edge was more than willing to indulge. Carefully, Edge crawled inside, trying not to disturb the cushiony layer. It was not an easy process; the pillows felt as if they were three-deep and they were laid out with almost geometric precision. With some effort, he settled in behind Rus, who sighed and snuggled back against him, slender legs tangling with Edge’s own. Edge settled a hand on Rus’s belly, gently stroking along the sides where the magic was stretched tightest and earning a relieved sigh for his efforts. 

Unusual as it was, the closet was hardly the strangest place Edge ever slept, though the question of why still lingered. 

“Was there something wrong with the bed?” Edge asked, curiously.

“no, with the room,” Rus said. He sounded sleepily distracted, nearly drowsing, “it’s too open out there, i dunno, i can’t explain.” He shook his head in frustration. “i needed to be someplace better, closer.” Abruptly, Rus squirmed, grumbling, “my back is killing me.”

Edge obediently began to rub the length of Rus’s spine. The cartilage between the joints felt painfully hot and swollen from taking on its extra burden. That explanation made a certain sense; the closet was darker, the only light coming in from the open door and perhaps some instinct made Rus wish to be less exposed, an inherent need to conceal himself when he was at his most vulnerable. “I’ve heard of nesting during pregnancy, I’ve never seen it taken literally.”

“i ain’t questioning the hormones or whatever it is we get,” Rus yawned. It shifted to a grimace as his stomach visibly distorted with the movement of the baby within. “anything to get this ball rolling. this kid can pop anytime she wants. stick a fork in me, i’m done.”

“She’ll come when she’s ready,” Edge said, a truth that he tried to soften by firmly rubbing out the tension in Rus’s lumbar vertebra, which seemed to take the brunt of the abuse.

“yeah, well, she can start packing her bags and head to the station, cause the conductor is about to take off… ow!” Rus yelped.

Edge stopped instantly. “Did I hurt you?”

“nah, daddy’s little angel just smacked me with her halo. easy, skitten,” Rus pushed the heel of his hand against the obvious bulge at the side of his stomach, then yelped again, louder and startled, “ouch! what the fuck, kid—”

Edge settled a hand atop Rus’s. Beneath their combined touch, the roiling movements that were once thumps and kicks were now more full body rolls, the baby struggling to move in her constricted space, “I believe you might be getting your wish soon, she’s very active.”

They both went quiet, waiting, the silence broken only by Rus’s occasional grunt of discomfort. Their disappointment was palpable when the baby settled back into stillness. With an aggravated sigh, Rus pushed restlessly against Edge’s hands and he started dutifully rubbing again.

After a moment, Rus said, thoughtfully, “you know, no one has actually told me yet how she gets out.”

“What?” That was enough for Edge to stop his massage and sit up, appalled. “What do you mean how she gets out?”

“how she is getting out,” Rus repeated, irritably, “it’s not rocket science here, she’s currently in and she’ll need to get out. somehow, i’m thinking it’s not as easy as knocking and calling ‘olly olly oxen free’. and the traditional method probably isn’t in the cards.”

Edge was somewhat familiar with childbirth as it went for other Monsters and the more he considered it, the more he thought Rus was likely correct. Rus’s hips were too narrow for the baby to pass through his pelvic girdle and his ectoflesh hadn’t formed a vaginal canal, either.

“How do you not know this?!” Edge demanded.

“i dunno, it didn’t come up!” Rus snapped defensively. “it’s not like you know, either!”

“I am not currently pregnant!” Edge regretted yelling the moment the words left his mouth. Arguing about this wasn’t going to help and he didn’t miss the sudden well of tears in Rus’s sockets before he turned away, burying his face into the pillows. Edge settled back down, and Rus didn’t resist when Edge pulled him back into his arms, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.”

“i know that,” Rus swiped angrily at his cheekbones, “stupid fucking hormones. i knew how to get pregnant, but that’s about as far as i go. turned out that undyne’s old research books weren’t real useful for skeleton pregnancies and it’s not like i know any pregnant skeletons to ask. looks like we might be figuring it out as we go.”

“I can’t think of another situation where I’d like less to improvise.” They didn’t know any other pregnant skeletons, that much was true. Not pregnant, no, but there was at least one skeleton they both knew who’d endured a pregnancy of his own. Edge swallowed hard and said haltingly, “I could call Red for you, we could ask him.”

“no,” Rus said immediately. He rolled over and caught hold of Edge’s hands as if afraid he’d start reaching for his phone. “no, don’t do that. he’ll be here tonight. i can ask him then.” He nodded, almost to himself, “yeah, that’ll be fine. red will know.” With a sigh, Rus settled back into his pillows, closing his sockets. But there was a certain tension in him that hadn’t been there before, his new contentment in his little nest regretfully lost and there was very little that Edge could do to help bring it back. 

“Do you want something to eat?” Edge tried, “I can bring it up.” The refrigerator and freezer were filled with easy to prepare meals, containers whose contents only needed heating. Blue cheerily put up plenty of extras, not only due to his brother’s current needs but anticipating for after the baby’s birth…however that would occur. It would be the work of minutes to heat something up. 

Rus only shook his head, mumbling out, “nah, jus’ tired.”

“All right, then.” Edge gently stroked along the curve of Rus’s skull, silently urging him to close his sockets. “Go to sleep.”

“stay?” That single word, nearly a plea, and Edge only nodded, pressing a light kiss to Rus’s temple and listened to his contented sigh.

Stay. Of all things Rus could ask for, that was what he chose and if Edge were honest with himself, he would have been hard-pressed to decline even if Rus weren’t pregnant with their child. Casual and occasional, that was how he’d described their relationship to Blue back when Rus first told him about the baby and now, he couldn’t say the same. How could he, when every evening he wanted to hurry back to Rus, to see his smile, listen to his foolish jokes and laughter, watch over him as he napped, his skull settled comfortably into Edge’s lap and inviting a gentle touch. He wanted that, all of that, to continue, wanted it with a desperation that bordered on necessity. 

He didn’t know what they were, what they were doing; all the walls he’d raised between them were rubble, the cautious distance he’d kept between them breached. If the question of how their child was going to come into this world was an important, then this was at least a distant second. What were they to each other and what were they going to do about it?

He wanted to help parent their child, there was no question of that. Edge only wondered if he were going to be allowed to remain close to Rus as part of the bargain. 

A part of him boiled with the urge to ask now, _now_ , to shake Rus awake and stupidly demand an answer. But despite what his brother might think, Red hadn’t entirely raised a fool. Asking now would be the height of unfairness when Rus was so close to the end of his pregnancy, at his most needy and overwhelmed. Once Lucy made her appearance and things settled a bit, that would be a better chance, a fairer chance, one that allowed Rus to choose without any fear that he would lose Edge’s support.

Besides, that would give Edge an opportunity to ask Blue if there were any specific customs in Underswap that should be followed, perhaps even to borrow their version of the dating manual…he was really going to do this, Edge realized, and the thought nearly made him giddy. He was going to discuss some sort of commitment with Rus and after that, the choice would be his. If that was something Rus wanted from him. 

If. 

Rus was sleeping deeply enough that he didn’t stir as Edge pulled him fractionally closer, holding him firmly within the circle his arms. If the baby were coming soon, he might well be losing his chance for this and the thought was a painful one, cramping in his soul, to think that he might lose the opportunity to hold Rus in his arms. 

It was Rus’s choice to make, just as the choice to carry their baby had been his. All Edge could do was guiltily indulge in the urge to glut himself on this closeness, anguished with breathing in the sweetness of Rus’s scent, wishing desperately that this would be something he could keep, something he could be allowed for himself, just this once. 

He held Rus close and didn’t expect to fall asleep himself, hardly aware of drifting off, one hand pressed loosely against Rus’s sternum and the other gently draped over the swell of his belly. Holding onto what meant most to him, even in sleep.

* * *

For the first few moments after Rus woke up, he was disoriented to the point of not even knowing where the fuck he was. That wasn’t so bad, really. Where wasn’t a problem so much as what and what was that he was fucking _hot_. 

There was a thin layer of sweat coating his bones, the bedding beneath him was sodden with it, and as he woke up a little more, Rus figured out that part of that was because Edge was about half on top of him, squashing him into the cushions, what the fuck—

Ah. Pillows. Right.

Earlier, the thought of climbing into the closet for the next month or so seemed like the most brilliant of all ideas. Someplace nice and safe, all enclosed and cozy along with plenty of cushiony pillows to pad the way. Rus’d gotten the closet all cleaned out and ready to go, only to figure out that his single pillow added with the two he stole from Blue’s bed didn’t exactly make for Cloud 9. The cushions from the sofa helped a little but not enough, and in his desperation, he’d thought of Edge. 

It was almost embarrassing now to think of how he'd called Edge while he was on patrol to demand a pillow sacrifice but hell, Edge came through in spades, didn’t he. Probably better not to ask where he got ‘em all, although the idea of Edge ransacking Underfell in a pillow heist was enough to make him choke on a laugh. 

It was not, however, enough to distract him from how fucking hot he was. Turned out being pregnant turned his internal thermostat up to eleven and sometimes it was all too much. Like now. 

There was a choice to be made here. If he woke Edge up, there was no question that he’d go get a towel for Rus so he could dry off. Probably even offer to sponge him off and tempting as that was, if Edge was zonked out, stood to reason that he probably needed some zzz’s, too. Sure, Rus was doing the major lifting, but Edge was going back and forth between their worlds, doing all his regular work before heading back here to hang out, dealing with all of Rus’s bullshit and helping Blue. 

So if waking up Edge was out, it was time for Option B to step up to the plate, which involved escaping from Mister Clings-A-Lot here and wandering outside for a minute to bask in the lovely, cold Snowdin air. Preferably before Red showed up ‘cause he’d throw a fit about it and start yowling about keeping mamas safe and _that_ would probably end with Rus stuffed into a blanket and plopped down on the sofa with a bitchy lecture made to order just for him. 

Yeah, Rus could do without that tonight, thanks.

Even as Rus considered his options, a ticklish trickle of sweat was winding its uncomfortable way down his sacrum and yeah, okay, enough was enough. Time to get his Mission Impossible on. 

Getting away from Edge was the first step and the most dangerous, but as it turned out, once he was out, Edge was down for the count. He didn’t even stir as Rus wriggled his way loose from his duct tape grip, crawling his way across the mounds of pillowy goodness to the door. 

Rus was panting by the time he got out of the closet, leaning weakly against the wall as he caught his breath, shit but pregnancy was not for the faint of heart or the weak of will. Not that Rus was gonna win any awards for either, eh, didn’t matter, Lucy wasn’t complaining. 

Except how she totally was, already squirming hard in her disapproval of sneaking away from papa. A quick peek showed that Edge was still snoozing away, and Rus patted his belly gently, snagging a fresh sweatshirt from the carefully folded pile against the wall as he slipped out the door. 

“easy, kiddo,” Rus whispered. All he got in return was a disagreeable little foot jammed right into his floating rib, hard enough to make him wince. “look, it’s only for a minute, i’m roasting like a pineapple in here.”

Kid was definitely taking after Edge; she reluctantly settled down and Rus could practically feel her sullen, unspoken agreement for just a few minutes.

His slippers were by the front door and Rus slipped them on. Not exactly the best for tromping around outside but his swollen boney piggies didn’t much care for getting crammed into his sneakers. Another preggo joy to add to his growing collection. 

“kiddo, at this point, i don’t think i care if you make an exit out of my eye socket, so long as you move out,” Rus sighed as he pulled his sweatshirt over his head. “okay, only kidding, if anyone up there is listening, i didn’t mean that—”

Any concerns about divine retribution vanished as Rus stepped out into the crisp, cold air. He groaned aloud, shuffling further out into the snow. The path that led around to the back of the house was mostly shoveled, only a fine layer of fresh snowflakes scattered across it. 

Rus followed it around back to where he used to hang around out of Blue’s sight to sneak a cigarette. He’d quit smoking the moment he’d found out he was pregnant, but that didn’t stop his hands from automatically groping for his cigs. The lighter was a poor compensation, but Rus fiddled with it, anyway. 

Getting down to the wire here. Pretty soon their little skitten would be here and Rus was right around a hundred and five percent positive that he wasn’t ready for this. Shame that he didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter. 

At least they were set with gear, even if it wasn’t at the house yet. The Buns declared it was bad luck to have baby stuff in the house before the kiddo got here and while Rus privately thought that was a load of bullshit, he’d never say a peep, nope, he owed the Buns big time, not only for their timely rescue from the snowstorm but for what they had waiting to bring to the house the second Lucy came down from the sky with her diamonds in tow and— 

Moving was pure instinct, an almost blurred sidestep to the left, away from a huge armored hand that nearly snagged ahold of him. 

Rus was usually pretty fucking quick on his feet, at least as long as his stamina lasted. That was before his sense of balance was thrown off by the combined weight of ectoflesh and baby. He staggered and nearly fell as he dodged again, his slippered feet sliding in the fresh layer of snow as panic rose heavy in his throat and who the fuck—

He stared up, his soul frozen in sheer disbelief at the figure towering over him; a Knight Knight, but not one he’d ever seen, not one of the humorless hulks who hung around with Madjick and occasionally stopped at his sentry post to buy a hot cat. This creature was a nightmare, her grotesque armor covered with rusty spikes and one of the horns on her helmet jaggedly broken off. The birdlike face that dominated her torso was a twisted, sneering wreck, its mouth opening to reveal a bloated, bloodshot eye with oozing pus crusted into the corners. Even that didn’t horrify Rus as much as the dust, so much _dust_ , caked into the armor joints and falling in horrifying motes from the clawed gauntlet reaching again for Rus. 

He was backed up against the house, there was nowhere for him to go, no escape except one. and the second those vicious claws grazed his sweatshirt, Rus took it. 

It’d been weeks, but reaching for the void was as easy as it ever was. Rus grabbed a frantic mental picture of _where_ and pushed through, stepping into a shortcut…and stopped.

Never before had one of his shortcuts stuttered halfway through, never had it dropped him painfully back into the world, whimpering and aching with the aborted backlash of the failed attempt. The ground came up to meet him hard enough to knock the breath out of him, the Knight Knight dangerously close to landing on top of him. 

The hard landing at least got him loose and Rus scrambled away, struggling to crawl through icy slush with his heavy belly almost dragging on the ground. Trying desperately to get to his feet and he could hear the clang of armor behind him. Close, too close, he felt the brutal virulence of intent at the same moment as he felt the panicked squirm of his child inside him responding to his fear through their soul link and Rus didn’t think, only reached for his fiercest attack with the last of his strength.

In a split second, he summoned a blaster, its enormous sockets filled with maddened eye lights, its toothy maw gaping open and from it a blazing hot explosion of orange plasma boiled out, directly at the Knight Knight, engulfing it. She made a sound that passed for a scream, a sulfurous, hollow shriek that rang painfully through Rus’s skull. 

He watched, dry-eyed, as she fell to her knees, KR burning through her HP. His own strength was fading, black dots starting to hover in his vision and Lucy was still shifting painfully inside him as he stared at the collapsing grotesque.

“night night,” Rus managed to whisper before unconsciousness claimed him.

* * *

tbc


	10. All A Bad Dream Spinning In Your Head

* * *

Something was wrong. 

Edge could sense it, feel it in the marrow of his bones through the heaviness of sleep. 

Wakefulness was slow in coming and Edge struggled to shake the darkness away. Even tangled in mental cobwebs and shadows, he knew this was not a natural sleep. Years of living on the streets trained him very well to quickly snap awake at the first twitch of anything suspicious and at this moment, his instincts were wailing, shrieking that something was very, very wrong. 

His sockets were barely slit open enough to see as Edge fought off that unnatural pull of drowsiness. Around him everything was too soft, offering no traction and he struggled through cloyingly padded surroundings to where light came in through the door, belatedly remembering the pillow nest. 

He came tumbling out of the closet, fighting to get his footing. His limbs felt stupidly clumsy, as if they weren’t his own, and when he tried to stand, he nearly collapsed back to the ground, staggering on unwieldy legs, looking around wildly for the attacker. 

It could be nothing else, he never fell asleep like this even when he was ill. This was deliberate, one of his enemies seeking to make him vulnerable. With enormous effort he managed to summon his own magic, a wavering shield of bones hovering before him. First hold back any incoming attacks, next form his own, if outnumbered, look for an escape, _never let ‘em corner you, and don’t ya ever panic under fire, never, we call monsters who panic dust, never--_

His brother’s voice in the back of his mind faded. There was nothing, no one else was in the room. Only furniture, the bed, the dresser, the tidy line of possessions along the wall from when Rus emptied out the—

There was no one else in the room. 

Rus.

Edge bit off a snarled curse and headed for the door. He still felt drugged, clinging to the banister as he made his clumsy way downstairs, trying to shake off the sedation that still clung like a tarry shadow. 

Then it felt as if something around him gave with a soggy pop. One minute he was struggling to stay upright, then he was snapping alert; whoever was casting either let the spell go or had their concentration broken, and there was only one way to find out which. Edge jumped the railing, landing lightly on the ground floor and ran outside.

One of the first things he’d learned when training for the guard was to assess a situation before engaging. Running in blindly was a good way to very quickly dust.

But no amount of training could have prepared him for seeing Rus lying crumpled in the snow, looking too-small and vulnerable with the snarling clash of fighting far too close by from two people he would never have thought to see in Underswap. 

Undyne. _His_ Undyne, the air around her bristling with summoned spears, launching in a pattern only she knew at her opponent and suddenly the reason for all his earlier muddled confusion came clear. An Underfell Knight Knight, their twisting, smoking armor already telling a tale of blaster damage as they struggled to hold off Undyne’s ferocity. Knight Knights were formidable foes and could force another Monster to sleep, dusting them in the midst of their unnatural slumber. 

Whatever happened, Edge was coming into the middle of it all and Rus was too close to the brawl by far, the pallor of his bones stark against the bright orange of sweatshirt, nearly blending into the snow. 

Undyne didn’t even look at him, caught up in the dance of battle. She barked out with savage glee, “Hey, nerd! ‘bout time you showed up! Keep back, take care of your boy!” Her needle-sharp grin was as vicious as her words. “I can handle this fucker.”

Of that he had no doubt. Even as he watched, the Knight Knight fell to one knee, her great shoulders heaving as she barely held off the last round of spears that poured down on her. 

There was no time for strategizing, one wrong step would send the combatants trampling over Rus’s crumpled form. Edge flung a hand towards Rus, calling up blue magic and taking a firm hold of his soul to pull him closer. The limp way he hung in Edge’s gravitational grip was distantly horrifying, his panic buried beneath practiced control; he couldn’t allow himself to be distracted from the battle. Edge pulled Rus in until he could gather him into his arms. Even as pregnant as he was, his weight was inconsequential, nearly as light as the pillows he’d carried not long ago.

“Rus?” Edge said, jostling him lightly, then harder when he didn’t respond, “Rus!”

His sockets fluttered briefly, and he let out a breathy snort but didn’t wake. His face twisted into a grimace as the swell under his sweatshirt stirred, the baby moving restlessly. A quick Check confirmed both their stats were full and holding steady, and Edge didn’t have time to consider their text, Rus’s an unconscious blank and Lucy’s, *almost*. They were alive and unhurt, that was all that mattered. 

Most of his attention was necessarily on Undyne still hammering attacks down on the Knight Knight. A sweep of her arm sent another wave of spears denting into already battered armor and a couple embedding into the siding of the Swap brother’s house with a quivering thud.

There was no way for him to assist her, even if she’d allow it; he’d have to put Rus down, and that would be a desperate move reserved for the moment it became apparent she was losing. 

Behind him, Edge could hear others running, the residents of this Snowdin drawn by the sound of battle into a loose crowd; the Swap brother’s house was in the middle of town, and the innocent inhabitants of this world were milling foolishly close, adults and children who should be safely in their homes were instead watching with fearful curiosity, frozen in the ankle-deep snow as they stared. 

“Keep back!” Edge barked. He cast a wall of bones around them, concentrating to keep the intent low, the goal was to keep the fools away, not to injure them. In his arms, Rus moaned, low and dazed, and Edge shifted his ungainly, limp form to hold him closer, murmuring, “I have you, you’re safe, Rus, you’re safe.”

There was no telling if he understood and no time for anything else. More shouts and Edge glanced to the side to see Underswap’s Alphys and Blue running from the direction of Waterfall. They were going to be too late, the Knight Knight was no longer attacking, only struggling to hold Undyne’s back. 

Until a sudden shield of bones that weren’t his own rose up between them, too far away yet to be Blue’s and the magic signature was one Edge knew intimately, far stronger and more immovable than nearly anyone would guess.

“stop!” Red barked. He was crouched on the roof like the gargoyle Rus so often called him, one eye light strobing with nauseating intensity as he held back Undyne’s attacks. “knock it off, fish lips!”

“What the fu—get out of my way, you rotten little cunt!” Undyne howled, pounding against the shield. Abruptly, Edge understood; Undyne wouldn’t hesitate to strike a killing blow and while a portion of denying that was not wanting the children of Underswap to see such a thing, there was another, more pertinent reason to keep this Knight Knight alive.

“Don’t kill her!” Edge snapped. He read her furious look clearly, grudgingly mollified only when he added, “She can’t give us answers if she’s dust!”

"You look after your baby mama," Undyne shot back. She shook back the fronds of her fins from her damp face, sweat dripping from the ends despite the chilly air. “He went down like a stone when chuckles here grabbed at him.” Her sudden grin was appreciative. “Your little honey got off a hell of a shot before he dropped, though.”

Red stepped out of a shortcut at ground level at the same moment Blue dashed up with Alphys at his heels. With a flick of his wrist, Red sent another wave of bones out to surround the Knight Knight, pinning her down. His brother barely gave their prisoner another glance as he came towards Edge, his fierce gaze on Rus.

“how is he?” Red asked curtly, even as he cast his own Check. Rus flinched from it, turning to press his face into the front of Edge’s shirt.

Blue was pale with worry and Edge dropped into a crouch, enough to allow him to see his brother, watched as Blue ripped off his gloves and tossed them into the snow, his slim hands fluttering over his brother, from his face down to the rounded bulge of his belly. “Papy?” Blue implored, “Brother?”

“He’s all right and so is the baby,” Edge told him. Automatically, he tightened his grip when Blue made to take his brother away. Not that he couldn’t carry him, Edge was well familiar with Blue’s strength, but the even with the Knight Knight contained, his instincts were still inflamed, demanding he keep Rus close to him, shrieking out a pulse of _protect, protect, protect._

Blue started to protest, swallowing it back when Red touched his shoulder and shook his head. He was obviously displeased, but didn’t argue when Edge stood again, settling Rus more comfortably into his arms. The solid weight of him was reassuring as was the occasional thump of the baby kicking, anchoring Edge when his strongest impulse was to keep them safe.

Much as he wanted to take Rus into the house, away from all of this, they needed answers. He was unconscious but his stats were fine and so were the baby’s, and Edge was unwilling to leave him alone in the house and equally unwilling to allow the Knight Knight out of his sight. 

Undyne and Alphys were currently eyeing each other suspiciously, literally in their cases as they only had one apiece. To Undyne, Edge asked, “How did you get here?”

She shrugged, “Beats the fuck out of me. Tagged along with your shitty brother. What in the name of Asgore’s balls do you have in your basement, looked like a fucking black hole.”

“You went through a black hole to help out your pal here?” Alphys looked mildly impressed. Nearby, the other locals were still milling around curiously and Alphys turned towards them, shaking a scarred fist as she barked at the lingering lookie loos. “Go on, show’s over!”

Reluctantly, they drifted off and it was a stroke of luck that they were out of sight when the Knight Knight suddenly collapsed into dust, even her armor crumbling away. 

“Whoa, fuck!” Undyne yelped, leaping back. “There was no fucking way I did enough damage to dust her!”

“you didn’t,” Red said, disgusted, waving a hand to dispersing the jagged bones caught in the dust. “that’s one of asgore’s little toys, suicide tag in case one of his private guard gets caught. like we said, can’t ask dust any questions.”

“Asgore? Your Asgore?” Blue rounded on Red accusingly, "Where were you? Where were both of you, how could you let this happen?"

Edge met his reproachful gaze as it swung to him, ready to accept his fault. Blue was right, they were to blame, and he’d sworn that Underfell would never touch Rus and their child and yet here it was dusting at their feet. Guilt was thick in his throat, there was no apology he could make, no excuse for not protecting his…his…Rus, and the baby.

Assistance came from an unexpected source as Alphys spoke up. 

"Not his fault," Alphys said, nudging at the dust with her boot, "Knight Knights got some specialized skills, they—whoa!!" She recoiled as the dust began to bubble, dissolving away the snow beneath it into foul sludge. 

"might want to keep away from that, who the fuck knows what it can do. knight knights can put you under is what she's saying," Red said tersely. "makes ‘em good for some espionage with a side order of kidnappin’. someone's been watchin', boss." He gave Undyne a pointed look. 

She snorted loudly and shook her head, unoffended. “Not me, nerd, and you already know Alphys keeps an eye out. She called me. Told me one of Asgore’s skeeves was hanging around your place. Figured I’d better check it out.”

“And you didn’t contact me?” Edge snapped.

Another unapologetic shrug. “Woulda, if I’d had time. I showed up and saw that one going into your basement…” She trailed off uncertainly. “I think it was your basement, I don’t—” she shook her head as if trying to rattle the memory loose. “It was like there was no door and then there was and then there wasn’t.”

“that’s when she came lookin’ for me,” Red threw out. “didn’t have time to argue so i brought her along. lucky i was headed home.”

Lucky. Edge didn’t normally prescribe to luck but lately, there seemed to be a slim thread of it for him, as though someone on high were watching. Instead of relief, it made him shiver unpleasantly. The margin of failure was painfully high; if Undyne hadn’t found Red, he would been confronting the Knight Knight still under her influence, trying to protect Rus from whatever her intentions were. She’d tried to grab him, Undyne said, and killing him for his meager LV was likely the kindest possible ending to that. His and Lucy’s, for what little quantity an unborn child might have. 

Nausea churned in his soul, thick and sour. Edge only realized how tightly he was holding Rus when he let out a whimper of complaint and stirred. Everyone stilled, waiting, but his sockets stayed closed even as he curled in closer to Edge, nuzzling at the front of his shirt with a soundless sigh. Closer to sleep than true unconsciousness and some of the tension wound tight around Edge’s soul loosened. 

When Rus didn’t bother to fully wake, Red spoke up again, “when we got to the basement, the door lock was busted. i took a sec to set up a little welcome for anyone else who might try it and scrambled the coordinates, but—” Red shook his head. “when we got here, the honey bun was about shoving a blaster up her ass ‘fore he dropped, but it didn’t take her down. undyne stepped up to the plate, think you know what happened from there.” 

“How did she see the door?” Edge demanded, “No one else ever has.”

“dunno,” Red shrugged, scratching at the back of his skull. “i’ve never known how that fucking things works. barely even know how we ended up with it, it just _was._ ”

“Yeah, exactly none of that made any fucking sense, Papyrus,” Undyne snorted. She cast another glance at Alphys who met it evenly, “I don't got a clue what's going on here.” She looked around, visibly disconcerted, at the clean, tidy houses in Underswap, the Gyftmas lights draped over eves and trees, and when she shuddered, it was not from the cold. “Where the fuck are we even?”

“Papyrus?” Alphys frowned, her scaly brow drawing down, “Your name is Papyrus, too? Sans, what the fuck--?”

“Why don’t we go inside and have some tea?” Blue interrupted, brightly determined. There was a certain panic layered beneath it, understandably, this was not an eventuality any of them had prepared for. “Papy shouldn’t be out in the cold anyway.”

“yeah,” Red agreed. Already there was a certain calculated gleam in his eye lights that was a relief to see. Surely if Blue didn’t have a plan for dealing with Alphys and Undyne then Red did, he always had plans, contingencies for his contingencies, always, “he don’t need to be out here, bro, get him inside and we-all can chat.”

Before Edge could take a single step, Rus gave a snorting sort of inhale, his sockets fluttering. He looked up with hazy eye lights, staring at Edge with pained befuddlement. “edge? wha…ohhhh,” Rus moaned, curling around his belly at the same moment a sudden burst of wet warmth soaked through his sweatshirt, rivulets running over Edge’s hands, dripping brilliant orange patters into the snow.

“What happened?” Edge said, dumbly, the sickening blood-warmth on his hands making his gorge rise. In his arms, Rus was whimpering, his fingers twisting in his soaked sweatshirt as he clutched at his swollen middle. Sweat trickled down Rus’s skull as he tensed, his pretty face twisted into a grimace.

“fuck! what happened is you need to get him inside _now_ ,” Red snapped back, “fucking go!”

Edge turned on his heel and nearly ran into the house. Slipping through slush and snow with the others right behind him, and all he could hear was Rus whining in pain again, feel the squelching wetness on his hands as he carried the ones dearest to his soul inside. Even as he ran, he called up a Check, and their stats were holding steady, but it was the text showing in his child’s that tipped him into panic. 

*Now.*

* * *

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some liberties with Knight Knight's abilities I know. Call it a difference in Underfell. 😉


End file.
